"We give Thee but Thine own, whatever gift we bring. All that we have is Thine alone; a trust, O Lord, from Thee." Hymn verse
"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.
There is a nasty word that pops up on occasion in Christian gatherings and congregations, usually in the fall, when it is time to start putting together a budget for the coming year. Stewardship. A nasty word that brings up images of fearful pastors talking about money, knowing that there are at least a few people sitting in the pews/chairs thinking that all the church wants is their money. Stewardship has become so connected with money and with capital drives that it really is no wonder that many Christians fear the time when they hear that Stewardship Sunday is coming up, or when it is announced that the stewardship drive is about to begin.
Over the next few days, I want to work a little to help combat some of the fears that arise when we hear that word. In essence, I actually want to make it even more frightening when we think about it, and yet, less daunting at the same time. More frightening because we often fail to realize just how much of our lives good stewardship impacts. Less daunting because it is much more a process that is ongoing in the life of a Christian rather than a fall drive for pledges and commitments.
So, from the very first, we are going to start with something simple. What is the definition of a steward? A steward is someone who is given responsibility for something that belongs to another. The steward is entrusted with this to care for it, to be responsible for it, and, at the same time, to put it to use. For example, in the verses I listed above, St. Paul is remarking how God's servants, the apostles, were granted stewardship of the mysteries of God's grace, and were entrusted to utilize them as God's Church would grow.
Now, as the hymn verse quoted above indicates, when we consider that we are God's stewards in our lives in this world, that means that we realize that God is the One to whom all things belong. The whole creation belongs to Him. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to the LORD (which, by the way, means all the hills of the world and not a literal thousand). Our lives, our bodies, our souls, our homes, our families, our vehicles, the air we breathe. All of it belongs to the Lord. We are merely entrusted with it while we live in this world.
As I mentioned earlier, that shows us that being a steward for God is actually very daunting. It means that, quite literally, everything belongs to God, and He simply entrusts it to us for a time. As Paul also mentions above, God calls for us as stewards to prove faithful in such stewardship. That goes from how you utilize your money to how you care for your body, how you are responsible for the food you eat and the clothes you wear, the house you inhabit, and the creation around you. It's all encompassing.
So that is what a steward is. As we continue this discussion, we will see that we need someone to redeem us from our irresponsible stewardship, as well as seeing the possibilities that exist as God grows us in our stewardship of His creation.
"This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful." 1 Corinthians 4:1-2.
There is a nasty word that pops up on occasion in Christian gatherings and congregations, usually in the fall, when it is time to start putting together a budget for the coming year. Stewardship. A nasty word that brings up images of fearful pastors talking about money, knowing that there are at least a few people sitting in the pews/chairs thinking that all the church wants is their money. Stewardship has become so connected with money and with capital drives that it really is no wonder that many Christians fear the time when they hear that Stewardship Sunday is coming up, or when it is announced that the stewardship drive is about to begin.
Over the next few days, I want to work a little to help combat some of the fears that arise when we hear that word. In essence, I actually want to make it even more frightening when we think about it, and yet, less daunting at the same time. More frightening because we often fail to realize just how much of our lives good stewardship impacts. Less daunting because it is much more a process that is ongoing in the life of a Christian rather than a fall drive for pledges and commitments.
So, from the very first, we are going to start with something simple. What is the definition of a steward? A steward is someone who is given responsibility for something that belongs to another. The steward is entrusted with this to care for it, to be responsible for it, and, at the same time, to put it to use. For example, in the verses I listed above, St. Paul is remarking how God's servants, the apostles, were granted stewardship of the mysteries of God's grace, and were entrusted to utilize them as God's Church would grow.
Now, as the hymn verse quoted above indicates, when we consider that we are God's stewards in our lives in this world, that means that we realize that God is the One to whom all things belong. The whole creation belongs to Him. The cattle on a thousand hills belong to the LORD (which, by the way, means all the hills of the world and not a literal thousand). Our lives, our bodies, our souls, our homes, our families, our vehicles, the air we breathe. All of it belongs to the Lord. We are merely entrusted with it while we live in this world.
As I mentioned earlier, that shows us that being a steward for God is actually very daunting. It means that, quite literally, everything belongs to God, and He simply entrusts it to us for a time. As Paul also mentions above, God calls for us as stewards to prove faithful in such stewardship. That goes from how you utilize your money to how you care for your body, how you are responsible for the food you eat and the clothes you wear, the house you inhabit, and the creation around you. It's all encompassing.
So that is what a steward is. As we continue this discussion, we will see that we need someone to redeem us from our irresponsible stewardship, as well as seeing the possibilities that exist as God grows us in our stewardship of His creation.
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