Principles of biblical stewardship, to which this page of Acts & Facts is dedicated, apply not only to the individual believer, but also to Christian organizations such as the Institute for Creation Research. All Bible-believing Christians and organizations know that our Lord will one day hold us accountable for how we used His resources, as He illustrated in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). As such, we should earnestly seek to maximize His provision to the fullest extent of our capabilities and skill.

The ultimate focus of this parable, however, should be understood in a spiritual sense. Our Lord provides tangible and intangible "talents" in various degrees--be they of wealth or intelligence, skill or influence--and expects us to sow bountifully with an eternal perspective that will reap spiritual gains for His kingdom. At ICR, we take this mandate very seriously, and prayerfully and carefully apply the gifts we receive to communicate the message of salvation as seen through His majestic creation.

ICR accomplishes this, of course, primarily through our publications Acts & Facts and Days of Praise. You are already familiar with the breadth of articles in this Acts & Facts magazine, which provides important insights into issues related to origins and scientific research, as well as perspectives on how the biblical message impacts critical thinking. Days of Praise provides a daily portion of hearty "meat" for the Christian (Hebrews 5:14), delivering short devotionals that challenge, convict, and encourage a closer walk with our Creator.

We are delighted to provide both of these publications free of charge to all who ask--and we wish to keep doing so. But the expense for such quality materials is considerable, costing ICR over $ 1,500,000 each year to prepare, publish, and mail these periodicals to those who have requested them. Virtually all of the expense is borne by a small band of faithful donors who understand the eternal value these publications provide, and who share some of their resources with us so that we can continue this vital part of our ministry. And while we will continue offering these materials free to all who sign up, we also need to be good stewards of the gifts God has provided to us through His people.

To this end, ICR has mailed letters over the last several months to tens of thousands of our subscribers who haven't contacted us in a while, asking them to let us know if these publications are still meaningful and useful to them. We have received a good response thus far, but a sizeable majority still has not responded. If this applies to you, please know that we would like nothing more than to continue making these publications available to you--but we need to hear from you.

Otherwise, and regrettably, this issue of Acts & Facts will be your last.

If you are benefiting from these materials and are still interested in continuing to receive them, please consider how the Lord may be blessing you through our ministry. Let us know what you would like to do by returning the tear-off response slip you received in the previous letters so we can keep your subscription active. You may also email us at subscriptions@icr.org with your name and address, or call us at 800.337.0375 and ask for the Subscriptions Department. We look forward to hearing from you!

Image Credit: http://breadsite.org – 1890 Holman Bible Collection #55

* Mr. Morris is Director of Donor Relations at the Institute for Creation Research.

Cite this article: Morris IV, H. 2009. The Stewardship of Talents. Acts & Facts. 38 (7): 21.