But our top priority is to love, obey, and glorify God. Putting God and the fulfillment of our Lord's Great Commission first in our time, talents, and treasure must be the primary goal of our stewardship. This involves giving to the kingdom of God through our local church and mission organizations that faithfully exalt our Lord, proclaim His holy, inspired Word, and actively work toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It is poor stewardship to invest resources God has entrusted to us in any church or mission cause that is not directly related to discipleship, evangelism, and the fulfillment of our Lord's commands. Sixth, give from the heart.
Motives are an essential part of good stewardship, for they determine our reasons for giving.
Godly motives stem from a cheerful, loving heart for God. We give to please our Lord and express our love to Him. We give out of obedience to our Lord's command to lay up treasures in heaven. We give to be a channel of God's abundant resources to a desperately needy world. Maintaining right motives through the power of the Holy Spirit is essential if we are to accomplish this objective to the glory of God.