August 28 was the 50th anniversary of the late Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I read the text of that speech every year on the anniversary date and reflect upon the power of its message for all generations. As I was reading and reflecting this year, it occurred to me I have a dream as well. Here’s what I would include in my “I have a dream” speech.
I have a dream that every adult Kentucky Baptist would have a greater propensity to become a more Kingdom-minded steward. As such, we would acknowledge with all our hearts that God is the owner of all things, and we are His stewards in the use of that which He has entrusted us. We would shift our priorities to let God, not money or anything else, be first in our lives so God would work more effectively in our lives. We would demonstrate our dependence upon and dedication to God through our giving. And, we would give generously, thoughtfully, thankfully and cheerfully. By connecting the dots between what we claim we believe the Bible teaches and applying those truths in our lives, we would learn to exchange what we cannot keep for what we cannot lose. We would recognize we do not have to be financially wealthy to make a worthy gift to our Lord. We could enjoy the resources He has entrusted to us, we would share them to help others and we would make eternal investments that touch peoples’ lives and connect them to Jesus Christ.
I have a dream that every Kentucky Baptist church would take more seriously its discipleship duty to challenge its older generation to leave a legacy gift of their love for Christ and His mission in this world, to sensitize and teach its younger generation how to live according to biblical principles of financial stewardship and to incorporate legacy giving into its on-going stewardship education and expectations.
I have a dream that more and more Kentucky Baptist individuals and churches will call upon the KBF to assist in educating, encouraging and enabling Kingdom-minded stewardship. We await your call.
The information in this article is provided as general information and is not intended as legal or tax advice. For advice and assistance in specific cases, you should seek the advice of an attorney or other professional adviser.
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