Something to think about.
A Good Steward
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10
The sermons I've heard concerning stewardship have always involved the proper use of money. It is almost as if that is the only thing that stewardship applies to, but look at context of this verse.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:7-11
In this context, a reference to money is not made. It says "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. We are to use the gifts God has furnished us with as good stewards that God may be glorified. It says "as good stewards of God's varied grace". Gods varied grace, could this mean that the gifts we were given are varied?
You have to ask what gifts has God given me? What has God endowed you with and how are you a good steward of that gift? Are you a teacher, an administrator, a leader, How many varied gifts has God bestowed on you and are you being a good steward of what he has given you.
We invest a lot of time in our businesses in our professions in our passions but what about the gifts God has given you? What effort are you investing in your gifts? The strange then about your gifts is that your good at them without very much effort. For instance, I have the gift of writing. I don't possess good grammar or spelling skills, but yet it is almost effortless for me to sit and write. I've never had writer's block I feel there are more subjects I can write about than I will ever have time to complete. But the truth is I have never spent very much time honing that skill. Maybe it is because it is a gift and is easy for me that I have not invested the effort in becoming outstanding at it. But that confession in itself exposes my lack of stewardship in that area of my life. Here is the question, if I pay more attention, more time more effort into my writing what are the possible benefits to my life to my wife's life to my children's lives. What benefit would my writing it be to the lives of people I don't know.
If you start to think about your gifts and you become good stewards of your gifts how much more alive would you be? The bible speaks of gifts with an "S" but if you are not a good steward of the obvious gifts Gods given you do you think God will give you another gift?
Stewardship is a wonderful thing not only in the financial realm but in every area of your life. A good steward of life will live an outstanding life. Because it will lead you to that place where you will be glorifying God with the fruits of your stewardship. And God will bestow on your life other gifts which will bring Him glory and you joy.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
A Good Steward
Friday, September 14, 2018
Blessed is The Man
Something to think about.
Blessed is The Man
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalms 1:1
Proverbs 15:22 (ASV) Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
In Psalms one, one it says do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. In Proverbs, it says plan succeed with the input of counselors. So which is it do we have counselors or do we go it alone?
The difference lies not in the use of counselors but in the use of Godly verses ungodly counsel.
Psalms one is very simple don't get advice from sinners. Whatever they have to say as good as it may be will not come with the favor of God it comes at best with the wisdom of man. And we know that the wisdom of man does not compare with the favor of God.
Proverbs says, Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed. What he is saying is when you do it all on your own you are limiting yourself to what you can think. By yourself, you will lack the resources to accomplish that which you desire. There never has been anyone that has been able to accomplish anything without the help and counsel of others. If we think that we can do all on our own, we are fighting against the will and plan of God.
But in the multitude of counselors, they are established. The purposes are established. Look at what is it saying if you accept, and seek out Godly counsel your plans will be established. The verse uses the word "multitude" it means we are to use many counselors, but not at the same time. It means throughout our lives we must continually seek out wise counsel. Why must it be continual because we need different counselors throughout our lives? Because as we change in the stages of life, we need people who have already been there to help us navigate that stage in life. And so also with our businesses, we need to constantly be looking out for people who can help us as well as people who we can help.
Our primary desire when seeking out counsel should be a Godly source. We spend so much time in the secular world we sometimes end up "sitting in the seat of the scornful" without knowing it. We end up standing "in the way of sinners" before we realize where we are. We can get so caught up in the counsel of the wicked we begin to support and endorse their sin. If we choose to walk in the counsel of the ungodly, we will eventually become the one giving ungodly counsel while thinking we are standing for God. That is how evil has become good and good has become evil too many of us have decided to walk in the counsel of the wicked.
To be true to ourselves and to reach the highest of our potential we need to find people who not only like us and support us. But we also need to find those people who will help us to reach the next level in life and business that God has established for us. God never intended for us to live in isolation. He never wanted us to work alone, we were made created for the community with a need to help and to be helped. In our endeavors, we were created to walk hand in hand with our brothers and sisters. Sometimes together sometimes to give a hand up sometimes to take the hand up.
We have the favor of God, but the favor of God is not something we can hoard it is something that must be shared. The favor of God flows through the child of God for the child of God and ultimately for the glory of God. Another of those inestimable values of God dispensed to those call by His name.
Monday, September 3, 2018
In the Cool of the Day
Something to think about.
In the Cool of the Day
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
This is the most idyllic of verse in the entire Bible. It creates for me a vision of walking along a cliff admiring the awesomeness of the open ocean with majestic mountains behind me and a comforting cooling breeze coming off the clear blue ocean water below. That's what I envision walking with God would be like. The beauty of both the ocean and the mountains. You may envision it just like it is described in this verse but I prefer to envision it my way. Why? Because that is my understanding of what perfection would be. Walking with God at any time in any place would be the definition of perfection.
The way it is written gives me the sense that this is not the first time they had walked with God. For me, it leaves me with the impression that they had done this various times before. Imagine walking with God. Talking to God as a man speaks to a man. We all desire to be here; walking with God speaking with God spending time with God. I know we have the Holy Spirit of God but to walk with God as Adam And Eve did. It is what we long for.
It only happened before sin came into the world. This is the last instance in the entire Bible where man walks with God as we might walk with a friend. Though walking with God is only mentioned once it must have been Adams and Eve's greatest regret losing that intimacy with their creator. Having known God face to face and then never seeing Him again what must that have been like?
The entirety of the Bible is designed to take all of us back to that place where we can for the first time take a walk with God. Its purpose is to restore us to a place of Holiness where we can walk with God in total Righteousness. As simplistic as it may sound God wants us all back in the garden. Back too a place where we can be with God cleaned of sin and restore to life in God. Getting back to the garden is such a simple thing to do.
We but have to accept what God has already done for us. Accept the price He paid for us. Accepting the sacrifice of His son for our return to the garden to spend some one on one time with God. I look forward to spending some time with my father. How about you? Do you long to spend some time with Him?