Stewardship - It's More Than You Think

stew·ard·ship

/ˈstuərdʃɪp, ˈstyu-/ Show Spelled [stoo-erd-ship, styoo-]  

noun

1. the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc.

2. the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving

 

(Obtained from Dictionary.com)

- - - - - - - - -

 

The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it,

the world, all who live in it;

for he founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the waters.

- Psalm 24:1-2

 

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.

 - 1 Corinthians: 6:19-20

 

Let's start with this: God owns everything.  He created it all.  The air you breathe, the ground you walk on, the light you see, the very atoms that make you up ... God's. 

 

In this light, I've started re-examining how I treat my spiritual gifts and my physical body.  Stewardship is most often used in the context of finance, and financial stewardship is certainly a part of the whole, but it is not the whole picture.  We are called to be responsible with our money and to use it wisely, but we are also called to be responsible with our bodies, time, talents, weaknesses, and ... really, anything else you can think of.

 

God the Father has entrusted us with this time.  He has given you the gifts of your spirit and physical realm and they are yours to use as you see fit, but once you are done with them they will be returned to the owner.  So, with that in mind what are we to do with the time and talents entrusted to us?  Should we bury them out of fear that we will ruin them and anger the owner, or should we try to use them and risk making a mistake?  The answer to this question is found in the book of Matthew:

 

Matthew 25:14-28 tells the parable of the loaned money.  Jesus tells a story about a rich master who goes away on a journey.  Before he goes, he entrusts three of her servants with a small portion of his treasure.  To the first he gives five pieces of gold, to the second two, and to the third one.  The man who received the five pieces immediately invested it and he quickly doubled the investment, the man who received the two pieces did the same.  The man who received the single piece dug a hole in the ground and hid the money.

 

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more."

 

His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!"

 

The same happened with the second servant who had also doubled the portion given to him.  However, when the servant who had been granted the single talent approached:

 

"Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you."

 

The master responded to this by casting the man out, taking his talent and giving it to the man who had five.

 

We are entrusted with much on this earth.  We each have been given specific talents and gifts - each according to our ability - and they are yours to use as you will.  Many people choose to live in fear and hide their talents.  This seems like the safe thing to do since we cannot ruin what we do not risk, but it is not what God wants you to do with the gifts he has given you.  He wants you to grow, he wants you to create, he wants you to build upon the greatness that he has given you.  We are responsible for the overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.

 

 

 

One thing to keep in mind: God has granted talents to each of us according to our ability.  He did not hand out skills to everyone in the same measure.  I've spent a good deal of time looking at the gifts of others and comparing myself to them.  When I do this I focus on what I don't have - I focus on how much better the other person is at their talent than I am.  I see the man with five talents and envy him instead of being grateful for the two granted to me.

 

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

 - 1 Corinthians 4:7

 

The thing to realize is that you were granted the talents that you have for a reason.  You were designed to use your gifts to the fullest of your ability, and not to worry about the gifts granted to someone else.  If you use your talents to their fullest, you will find that you will be full and will have more than enough to do.  And, as you prove faithful with the portion given you; the Father will give you more to manage.

 

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

- 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (Italics added by me)

 

 

How are you managing your talents?  How are you caring for the burden allocated to you? Are you looking for ways to invest what you have to produce life?  Are you protecting that which God has deemed worth caring for and preserving?  If God were to come to you today and ask you to return His gifts would he thank you for your work?  If the answer is no, then it is time to turn that around.  The Creator of the Universe has placed inside of you gifts unique to you alone.  He has given you the mind and body necessary to multiply those gifts. 

 

You were chosen to be the steward of your gifts - God does not make mistakes, so your gifts are perfectly suited to you.  If you choose to nurture them they will be fruitful to the Glory of the Lord.

 

Let the Lord be glorified today!

Hey, Jerk! There's a speck in your eye!

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?
- Matthew 7:1-5

I was trying to think of a topic to write about for the last couple of days and was not having much luck - then thanks to a political Facebook thread I wandered into today, I found the perfect subject: Grace and Judgement.

Facebook seems to be the place where people feel free to take what should be a private thought (some probably not even then), and place it online for the world to see.  Things that would never be said in public are fearlessly typed and posted - offense is taken and the offended person then takes their should-not-be-uttered thoughts and blasts them out into cyberspace toward the offendee.  Further offense is taken and more offense is dished out.  It quickly dissolves into a vicious circle where everyone is e-shouting and nobody is e-listening - everyone is right and everyone is wrong at the same time.

Judgment and wrath are doled out while grace (whenever offered) is usually trampled on by declarations of supremacy.

Today's thread left me feeling discouraged and sad and made me question why I even bother dipping my toe into those kinds of topics.  The question posted was actually a very thoughtful, but the answers that came pouring in were, for the most part, anything but.

The Internet seems to be a place where manors are thrown out of the window, but just because we are having a discussion online does not mean that we should feel free to de-humanize people.  As Christians we are called to love; always.  We are called to examine the situation of our own hearts before worrying about the condition of another person's life.  Look at the verse at the top again ... the measure that you use to judge will be the measure used to judge you - yikes.

Recently, I read this verse and was hit with another one of those spiritual bricks that shook my entire foundation.  I started examining the inner-thoughts and judgements in my heart and realized that I am much more flawed than I give myself credit for.  Since then, I have made it a regular point in my prayer to ask for forgiveness for judgment I pass on others.  I ask for help in identifying when the judgemental me begins to raise up, and I ask for help in muting that voice in hopes that God will transform my heart to the point where I see others through Christ's eyes instead of through my self-superior view.  I don't know if I'll ever get to a point where I am able to go through a day without this sin raising it's ugly head, but I am hopeful.  Currently I have problems with judging people who I deem to be judgemental ... hypocrite?  Yes, I am.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
 - James 3:9

Only once I admitted that I was double-minded, that I was a hypocrite, that I was judgemental and self-righteous, was I able to allow God to begin working on me.  When I held onto the belief that I was okay and that I did not have a problem with judging; I put my faith in my own power, in my own pride.  This pride in turn, allowed me to feel that I was better at not judging than others - which in itself was a judgement on them.  Double-minded?  Yes, I am.

We need to confess our judgement before the Judge.  We need to admit that we are not always right.  We need to realize that the person on the other end of the blog / forum / post is a human - that they were created in God's likeness just as we were.  We need to learn to repay ugliness with kindness, judgement with forgiveness, death with life.  We must bend our knees and submit ourselves so God can work us toward the perfection that He has for us.

I am hopeful that some day I will be free from this sin.  I've admitted that I will not be able to do this on my own, but I know that God can mould me to the point where my first reaction is love and compassion. 

Some day I hope to see the world as He sees it, though I fear that my heart may break if that truly happens.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness - why do we struggle so much with offering it?  Our Father has offered us forgiveness, yet we often have trouble extending it to our fellow human beings.  We tell ourselves that there are many reasons we withhold forgiveness, but in reality the reason we hold onto hurts boils down to pride.  We feel that we are justified in holding onto our hurt, we feel that we are owed an apology, we feel that we need to stew on the bitterness because it is our due.

What if God held that same attitude toward you?  God has offered you forgiveness for your sins, so who are you to be justified in withholding forgiveness for an other's sin?  The Bible speaks over and over again about the importance of forgiveness - as followers of Christ we are called to emulate him and the Father and forgive.  We are not called to forgive when someone is sorry, but to forgive always.

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
  - Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiveness is a trait of our Father and our Savior.  How could we possibly claim to be followers of God the Father and Jesus if we refuse to follow the example he set before us?  What would Jesus call us if we explained to him that we appreciate his forgiveness, but that we just can't forgive someone for their sins against us?  Hypocrite? Double minded? Sinner?  Yes, yes, and yes.

We are called to forgive. We are called to forgive lies, cheats, pains, abuses, hypocrisy, theft, even unforgivenss. Our forgiveness cannot be predicated by someone else's actions. As followers of Christ we are called to be His example to the world. As he said, we will be forgiven as we forgive. How many people have allowed their pride to separate themselves from the Love that is offered to us? We cannot be followers of Christ if we refuse to follow him. As James said:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.
- James 2:14 , 18-19

In my life, it has been easiest to withhold forgiveness is when the person who hurt me refused to acknowledge that fact.  I've told myself, "I am not going to forgive until they apologize."  Yet that flies in the face of what Christ did for me.  Even at the point of the greatest pain of his life, he offered forgiveness to those who had no desire for it, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." - Luke 23:35

Forgiveness is a fruit of the Spirit.  Forgiveness is a sign of a follower of Christ.  As we move forward in our journey with Christ it should be something that comes easier and easier, but it will never come without some measure of pain - true life rarely does.  We have to learn to let it go, to give our hurt over to God and allow Him to take it away from us. 

If you are struggling with unforgiveness, I encourage you to pray.  Ask God to show you the splinters of bitterness that you hang onto and allow him to remove them from your heart.  When I first prayed this prayer I was amazed by the years of small hurts that I was clinging to - things I hadn't thought of in years, yet I could recall with perfect clarity because I refused to let them go.  It was a painful process, yet once it was done I felt a freedom I'd never even imagined could exist.  More amazing than the years of bitterness revealed was the lightness of my spirit once the weight of my burden was lifted.  The Freedom of Christ is truly fantastic.

For more on forgiveness and the cancer of unforgivenss I strongly recommend the book The Bait of Satan by John Bevere.  It isn't an easy read, but it will help shine a light on how destructive offense and unforgivenss are in your spirit.  I also encourage you to find a group of believers to discuss this with as talking through it can be very helpful in releasing the pains of the past.  Christ has freedom waiting for you, but you must let go of your pride and forgive as you are forgiven.  As C.S. Lewis says in The Great Divorce:

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says in the end, 'Thy will be done.'

As always, the choice to live in freedom is yours - what will you do with it?

Love Like a Man

Since today is Valentine's Day it seems fitting to launch into my thoughts on marriage, fatherhood, and God's word regarding man-hood.

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.  In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church - for we are members of his body.  "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."  This is a profound mystery - but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself ... 
   -- Ephesians 5:25-33

What does it mean to love as Christ loved the church?  How different is the love that we offer compared to this kind of love?

Jesus died for us.  His death was the single greatest act of love.  He went into pain so that we might find life.  He lead, he taught, he nurtured and lifted up.  He gave utterly of himself with no expectation of receiving in return.  He loved completely and perfectly.  That is how we are called to love. 

It is much easier to receive than it is to give.  It is easy to go through life waiting for your next payment, for (insert object of your desire) because you deserve it.  It is easy to resent those who do not recognize the fact that you are due your reward for whatever it is you believe you have done.  This is especially easy to do in the confines of marriage.  Needs go unspoken, unheard, and unacknowledged until the ground is burnt and walls are built.

Husbands, you are called to love your wives as Christ loved the church.  You are called to give yourself completely for the betterment of your wife - unto your death.  You are called to lift her up in all that you do.  You are called to love.  Love is not a feeling, but a choice.  It is the act of placing another first in all that you do.  It is the act of sacrificing comfort for life. You are called to place her in front of your own interests in all things. You are called to present her to yourself as a radiant body - holy and pleasing.

I am going to come back to this verse over and over again because it is a pivotal verse in my life.  When we discussed this in pre-marital counseling I realized how much responsibility was on me to make this marriage work.  That without my making the choice to love my wife every day there was nothing that could make the marriage work.  In his discussion of marriage, Paul dedicates three times as many words for the husband as he does for the wife.  This is not to say that the wife does not have a difficult task (she has to honor and respect us - not easy at all), but everything hinges on the husband living up to his end of the bargain.

 

If you love your wife she will respect you.  If you love your wife she will gladly submit to your leadership.  If she knows that you love her, that you will always place her needs first, that your priority is your love for her, she will follow you to the ends of the world.  Through sickness and health, through richer and poorer, through laughter and tears, until death do you part.

Break the Box

In my last post, I noted that I was reading a book called The Evolution of Faith - I would not recommend this book to anyone who is not very certain in their faith.  There are some interesting ideas and concepts, but overall I would not recommend the book.  There are not many times where I say with some certainty that someone is in the wrong profession, but I have serious misgivings that the author of this book is a pastor, and my prayers go out to him and his congregation.  Just like I wouldn't trust a doctor who does not believe that study, practice, and staying current on medical research are important to his trade; I have trouble with a pastor who does not pray, refers to Jesus as a prophet, and dismisses most of the Bible as antiquated mythology.  I am all for being progressive and inclusive, but this seemed to go beyond a line that I am not willing to cross.  I do not claim any authority since there is only one true judge, but where this man's spiritual quest has taken him does not feel right to my heart.

With that said, I want to focus in on what I took as the overall (unintended) message from this book: we need to be very careful about the box we place around God.  Note that I didn't say that we should be careful about putting God in a box because I think we all do this.  Our perspective is trapped in time and space and our ability to grasp concepts only goes so far.  Instead, we need to be aware of the box that we create and understand that it is not God, but it is the limit of our ability to understand Him. 

God is bigger than we can imagine. 
        Infinite
              Omnipresent
                       Omniscient
                                Omnipowerful

These are all words that we can conceptually understand, but if you really try to make it into something concrete it slips through your fingers - it's like trying to grab a fist full of the ocean.

 

 

When Moses asked God who he was his answer was simple, and amazingly profound.

I AM.

It is when we take our time-trapped, finite, self-absorbed views of God and make them our own truth that we fall into trouble.  When I make God take on my priorities, my wishes, focus on my plan, and my life I am no longer worshiping God.  And a god of my own making is sure to let me down because it is of me.

I wish I had a quick fix secret to breaking the barriers of the God box.  In my life, it seems that the walls go up silently until suddenly my faith begins to feel a bit stagnant and I look around and notice that I've done it again.  In my prayers I try to acknowledge this and extend my prayer out to God as He knows Himself to be - not how I understand Him.  This simple phrase has helped me to keep my eyes out for the limits I place on God, and understand that they are by my own making.

I find peace in knowing that there is only one Truth.  My opinion of God is irrelevant.  He is as He understands himself to be.  He is I AM.

I will close tonight's post with the words from Paul's letter to the Ephesians:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen

Amen

It is for Freedom

It's amazing how life (and the spiritual journey) can take on themes that seem to repeat everywhere you turn.  Recently we've been singing a song at church that says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  What will we do with it, what will we do with freedom?"  This comes from Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Two weeks ago, mid-song, I stopped and really started thinking about the power of that line.  Christ has set us free - he gave us freedom, and we have the choice on what we will do with that freedom.  The realization that I have been given freedom, suddenly hit me, and the weight of that freedom was much heavier than I could have imagined.

Today I ran into the second piece that fits into this theme ...

I am reading one of the more challenging books that I've come across; The Evolution of Faith by Phillip Gulley.  He is a Quaker minister, and though he has a few theological viewpoints that I can't agree with; he also has some insights that make me re-evaluate my supposed understanding of my faith.

I have been wrestling with trying to ascertain God's will for my life.  What does God want me to do?  What kind of job should I have?  Where will we live when we retire?  I worry that I will chose incorrectly and send myself down a rabbit trail that will result in time and life wasted.  This worry has had two main consequences in my life: First, I've been reluctant to commit to a career, instead I have jumped from place to place hoping to find that job that will clearly show me that I am in God's will and leave me both spiritually and financially prosperous.  Second, I have often been paralyzed with fear and have not acted when I should have for fear that I will move outside of God's will for my life.

Through watching my life unfold; I realize that my lack of commitment and paralyzing fear are exactly the opposite of what God wants for my life.  They are the yoke of slavery Paul warned the Galatians against.  I've even felt a presence say to me, "I don't care what you do, just do something," but even with this feeling, I've often sat on my hands because I am not sure if that is me or God speaking, and the fear that it is me freezes me into my paralysis. And so on, and so on.

In regards to the idea of looking for God's direction in my life, Mr. Gulley wrote a very interesting section that I will put in verbatim below:

Over the years, persons have come to me expressing concern that they weren't following God's will for their lives, inferring God's will was a very specific and unique course of action God intended their lives to take.  They believe God wants them to marry certain persons, work at specific vocations, have a certain number of children, live in a particular home, spend their money in a certain way, and attend a specific church.  They worry that they have misunderstood God's particular will for their lives and consequently are living outside the range of God's blessing and protection.  They believe God not only has a specific plan for their lives, they believe God has a unique plan or will for each person and that our earthly task is to discern and follow that single path in order to be happy and fulfilled.

 

It is almost impossible to exaggerate the number of people who worry, obsessively so, that they are living outside God's will, causing themselves unnecessary emotional distress in their belief God will punish them for their live's direction.  While I admire these persons' desire to be faithful, I'm confused by their anxieties.  First, such a belief is contrary to our conviction that God is love.  Why would a God of love be primarily about punishment and retribution?  Secondly, it seems contradictory to speak of a God who has given us free will and at the same time has devised a precise plan for our lives that must be followed for us to be blessed.  It suggests God is double-minded, extending the gift of human freedom one moment, then punishing us for exercising that freedom the next moment.

There is a lot to unpack in this section, but for tonight I am going to focus on the freedom in these words.  God does not have a specific plan for my life that I need to figure out in order to live according to his will.  He does not require that I fit into a specific slot in order for me to have the fullness of life that He has for me.  Instead, He wants me to move daily toward Him.  He wants me, in everything I do, to strive to be His hands and feet to the world.  In my daily walk I am free to make my choices, but He is hoping that I will in everything choose love.

God is our Father.  He loves us as a father loves his children.  A father does not dictate his children's lives to them in order for them to receive his blessing.  Instead, a father loves his children by giving them the freedom to make their own decisions, to chose their own paths.  A father hopes that his children will grow into thoughtful, kind, compassionate, loving adults.  A father understands that these attributes are much more important to the central character and happiness of his children than their chosen professions, places of residence, mate, etc.

To speak of God's will is to speak of God's general hope for our lives, which is our growth in love and mercy, our increase in wisdom, and our commitment to justice and integrity.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. What will we do with it, what will we do with freedom?

Our lives are our own to live.  We are not constrained in our choices - God has even given us the authority to choose the fate of our souls.  (Think about the weight of the freedom in that sentence for a moment.)  My hope is that I choose each day to grow toward love and mercy, to increase in wisdom and commit to justice and integrity.  I want to know my Father in whatever way He will allow Himself to be known to me.

 

My prayer is that my spirit would embrace this freedom.  My prayer is that I would be released from the chains of my fear and that I would begin to live a life of bold action.  My prayer is that my Father would teach me how to walk in his footsteps, how to love like he loves, and live the kind of life that He hopes for me.  My prayer is that I begin to focus less on where I am going and what I may be doing, and more on the opportunities before me.  My prayer is that my concerns and worries cease to be about me, and instead turn toward the cold, the hungry, the oppressed and the forgotten. I want to use the freedom granted to me in a way that my father will say "well done" when I finally come home.

Who needs a Sabbath?

The Sabbath

A period of dedicated rest.


The idea of a Sabbath feels like an antiquated concept that worked in times that were easier than these, but does not work in the every day busyness of the modern world.  I am realizing that my thought process on this is flawed.

The primary flaw in my thinking is that life today is somehow busyer or more difficult than it was long ago.  If I am hungry I just go to a store and purchase my food.  If I am thirsty I simply turn a knob and cool, clean water is delivered to me.  We are surrounded by more luxury and entertainment than any civilization in history - we throw ourselves at the alter of entertainment - yet we never make time to actually rest.  Yes, we work, sometimes more than is good for us, but we also have ample time for recreation.  So, the idea that my life is busyer than that of a person living in the desert hunting and gathering their daily bread is folly.

The second flaw in my thought process stems from the above paragraph.  I realize that my life is not as difficult as some, so I don't feel that I deserve to have rest.  I don't have to hunt or gather my food, I don't have to struggle for heat or comfort - it is all around me, so I ignore my spirit's clamor for some rest and push on through.  Day after day, week after week without ever taking time to step back and take a breathe.  I feel guilt about claiming my period of rest because I know that it means that my spouse will need to work more during this time.  I can see her need for this same rest, but it is easier for me to give her that gift than it is for me to claim it for myself.

God instructed us to observe the Sabbath.  He calls it Holy, so it is Holy.  I need rest.  My spirit needs regular time to be quiet.  It is not about the busyness of my life, or how it compares to an other's life.  It is about my spirit needing time to be at rest - to allow God to reinvigorate me. 

The Bible speaks repeatedly about the value of rest.  Jesus sought it out with his friends - it is one of God's commandments to His people.  So, why am I so reluctant to incorporate this aspect into my life?

Hebrews 4:9-11:
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.  Let us therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

- - - - - - -

I can feel my soul being stretched thin.  I recognize the need for rest in my spirit.  I begin to be short with my wife and children.  My thoughts turn more and more inward and focus on how tired I am.  Instead of speaking up and dedicating the time for rest I plow ahead in weariness and self-martyrdom.  My heart turns away from God and into myself. 

So, by not taking the time for a Sabbath, I sin against God and against my family.  This is the primary reason I need to take a break.  In order to be the man, husband and father I was designed to be, I need to seek the rest that my Father has for me.

This is the adjustment I need to make.