“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
 
We are not very good at “denying ourselves” in our society. Our current economic situation is evidence of what happens when people think they can have everything they want. Jesus calls us to Stewardship where we set our own personal “wants” aside so that we have the resources to follow Him instead.

Prayer
That we as Christian Stewards learn to deny our own wants a little more so that we can more fully follow Our Lord’s example of giving and service to others.

“And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” Luke 7:13
 
This verse is a great reminder that the Stewardship lifestyle is one of service, putting God first and to “love one another.” Unfortunately today, many people have “passion” for activities they enjoy - their job and off-work activities. Many times our “passion” to excel is at the expense of someone else. We need to focus on a little less passion for our individual concerns and a lot more compassion for others.

Prayer
That we answer the call to Stewardship, where we think of our ourselves less and show more compassion for others.