Hebrews 11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

From Background Notes [BN] for May 5^th & 6^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Twin elements belong to such faith, the writer goes on to tell us:

1) Believe that God exists;

2) Believe that God rewards the seekers of God.

When we pledge our gifts for the work of God around the world, our basis is the existence of the God who created all things and supplies the daily needs of His creation. We also affirm by our Faith Promise that God does not ignore those who seek Him. Perhaps the word “reward” carries too much materialistic baggage, yet the underlying Greek word is misthapodotēs which means, simply, “one who pays wages.” Doesn’t this seem a bit too crass? God the pay-master? Does this not turn faith into a work and replace grace with obligation? That hardly sounds like the kind of God we meet in Jesus Christ. What the writer to the Hebrews intends is that God’s ability to acknowledge our faith in Him is no more difficult than for a wealthy boss to meet his payroll. The biblical writer is not saying that our reward is nothing more than ordinary wages. Instead, he means that the “faith” (as in “Faith” Promise) has its roots in the God who always deals justly and graciously with those who commit themselves to Him.
 

And that is true whether we are in harsh economic times or in a bull market. The economics of the kingdom inverts the natural order of the Empire. The royal order of God encourages trust and incentivizes faith among its citizens. Faith, not fear, motivates the divine markets. Trust, not mistrust, opens up the generous hearts of God’s people who know that with God there is always enough, no matter how much they choose to give away. On such a foundation, Faith Promise erects its future.

This week’s Notes consist of several texts that teach about our stewardship. We often speak of Time, Talent, and Treasure as the stewardship trifecta. Our emphasis for this study falls on treasure, and we will regularly refer to this aspect in light of this week’s call to make a Faith Promise of our treasure for the needs of the world.  [BN, 2]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at ChicagoFirstChurch of the Nazarene –

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm