All
of us are stewards.
Does
that seem strange to you? Well, it shouldn’t. All of us have responsibilities
over one corner or another of God’s household. Just as we have to look after
our own households, we also have to look after the part of God’s household that
he has given us to look after.
The
task may seem to be difficult or even impossible, but we do not have to be
afraid. Jesus assures us that we will overcome, not by drawing on our limited
resources or by force but by relying on our Father’s generosity to his flock.
It isn’t over until he says it’s over. Life’s hardships and tragedies are a
reason to sit tight and wait for his return. They are not an excuse for us to
bail out. Life’s trials do not matter if we are faithful to Christ. The kingdom
is ours. Stress will be a distant memory. Worry will turn to rest.
“Treasure”
refers to a place where one keeps valuables, such as a vault. Jesus urged his
disciples to cling to their love for God and his kingdom above all. Everything
else they should hold loosely. The giving of alms to the poor generates
treasures in heaven, so it makes no sense to limit almsgiving to that which is
of little value.
Humanity
looks for solutions but wealth, prestige, glamour, sexuality, substance abuse
and rebellion are not solutions. All of them have failed miserably. Sometimes
we hold on to our possessions because we are afraid of what will happen when we
get rid of them, including our money. Given the current worldwide economic
situation, this concern is understandable. In addition, people have accumulated
earthly possessions in the hope that they would provide security, when they
need to lay up treasures in heaven instead. We need to let go of the lives we
fearfully protect and hold on to before we can receive our heavenly treasures. If
we centre our lives on our possessions, then our lives will revolve around
protecting and keeping them. This obsession could get to the point where we
will live in constant fear that they will be taken from us. As we accumulate
stuff we find that we have to keep our doors locked or install alarm systems or
join groups such as Neighbourhood Watch.
This
does not mean that we have to give up all of our possessions. In fact, we need
some of our possessions in order to live both now and in the future. The key is
getting rid of possessions that we don’t need. We can do what early believers
did and sell some possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. We can also
donate these possessions to the poor or to stores that serve the poor such as
Value Village or the Salvation Army Thrift Store.
If
we look at our belongings and decide that there are some things we can never
part with or if it’s something God told us to give away and we can’t give it
away, then we do not own that item. It owns us. We are possessed by our
possessions. They become idols for us, and the Bible says in Ezekiel 20:7, “Get
rid of every idol.” To put it another way, in a recent newspaper column Billy
Graham answered a question about how much debt is too much. In his reply, he
asked:
“What
place do things have in your life? Have your possessions become so important to
you that they possess you, rather than you possessing them? Are you more
concerned about impressing others than living wisely? Most of all, have things
taken the place God should have in your lives?”
We
don’t need to be afraid of possessions. If they come, we can use them to do
God’s work in our world. We can go to the other extreme by giving away so many
of our possessions to the poor that it causes hardship for us. There is a time
for extravagant gesture as well as a time for practical concerns. There is a
time to do things such as fixing the roof, painting walls or feeding the poor,
but there is also a time to celebrate. If we feel that we can’t have things or
if we feel that we must have them,
we are letting the things of the world rule our lives. We must go through life
as stewards of everything God gives us. We need to heed these words from the hymn, “We
Plow the Fields and Scatter:”
We thank thee, then, O
Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food:
No gifts have we to offer
For all thy love imparts,
But that which thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
For all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food:
No gifts have we to offer
For all thy love imparts,
But that which thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all his love.
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all his love.
Being
good stewards is one of the things we should be doing while we wait for Christ
to return. We must not use the Lord’s delay in returning as an excuse not to do
anything. We have to do the things we would do if Christ returned today. When
Christ returns he will serve his faithful servants who are prepared for his
return, just like he served the disciples by washing their feet. If we have
kept God first in our lives, he will sustain us. He will give us what we need.
He won’t give us everything we want when we want it. In fact, he might not give
us what we want at all. His choice will depend on the nature of our wants and
whether or not they fit in with his plan for our lives.
The
way we use the gifts God gives us is evidence of our stewardship. It will show
if we are faithful servants with God’s interests in mind or if we have
forgotten who we belong to and neglected tending what God has given us. If we
obey God and make his priorities our priorities, we will receive incredible
blessings, and these blessings are part of our heavenly treasure. For example,
some of you might know that I post all of my sermons online. To date they have
been seen over 200,000 times, and I have received many positive comments.
Last
month I received an email from a Lutheran minister in North Carolina. I know
it’s a legitimate email because I received a telephone call from him shortly
after I received his email. Since parts of the email tie in with my message,
I’d like to share them with you.
Hello
Craig --
I
want to let you know how much I appreciate the sermons you post on your website
-- they are
wonderful.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.
I
am a Lutheran pastor here in North Carolina, USA and I am always looking for
good sermon resource material. Do you mind if I do a some "begging,
borrowing, and stealing" from what you offer? I will be honest with you in
stating that I am not the most original writer when it comes to sermon
preparation. If only I could do a
fraction of what you have done and continue to do!
Well,
Craig, I hope I am making some sense out of all my ramblings...but wanted you
to know how I feel...where I am coming from in writing to you...and TRULY
asking for your permission to make use of the materials you provide --- it is
some of the best I have ever seen and it should be shared with many of God's
people, through the personality of various preachers. I personally believe that our gracious God
speaks to us through Holy Scripture and he can also can speak to us through
what others have said and written ---and, dear friend, He certainly speaks to
me through you -- and for that I am most grateful.
Thank
you for your time and consideration in this matter and may you continue to be
blessed with the ABUNDANCE of our Lord's MARVELOUS love.
In Christ, Ed Harper
People
who help others find themselves caring about the people they help. Also, they
will enjoy the meaningful life that results from meeting those needs. God wants
us to enjoy and share the abundant life that comes from fellowship with others
and a right relationship with God. In a recent edition of The Canadian Disciple newsletter, Rev. Dr. Jen Garbin, Regional
Minister for The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada-and a former
minister of the Milton and Summerville Christian Churches-wrote the following:
“We
are not called on to walk alone or only in one way…but we are to encounter each
other, share our stories, learn from one another, challenge one another,
celebrate together and support each other’s work.”
We
must be ready at all times for Christ’s return, because he could return at any
time. No one knows when Christ will return. Neither the Bible nor history
contain secret messages that, when decoded, reveal the date. Until that day,
his followers must actively wait and willingly work. Jesus has given us a
mission. We are to take the Good News to the world. We need to be always alert
and engaged in this mission. This include using our possessions. The caring
Christian community is called to be less anxious about its own welfare and more
concerned about those in need. Doing so reflects our heart. Our heart reflects
what we value the most.
Throughout
Scripture the heart represents the centre of our being, our desires and our
reason. Our hearts will be where our treasure is. Those who are greedy and
anxious about stuff put their emphasis on worldly goods. Those who trust in
God’s provision invest their hearts in heaven. When Chris returns, we will have
to give an account of how we looked after everything he has given us. Our
hearts will affect how we look after things. Where are your hearts right now?
Where do you want them to be in eternity?
Bibliography
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King
James Version (Brentwood, TN; Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1412)
2.
“We Plow the
Fields and Scatter.” Retrieved from http://www.hymnary.org/text/we_plow_the_fields_and_scatter
3.
Pastor Rick
Warren, “Don Just Get Rid of Your Stuff. Sell It!” Retrieved from connect@newsletter.purposedriven.com
4.
The Rev. Dr.
Jen Garbin, “Forks.” Published in the July 21, 2016 edition of The Canadian Disciple and retrieved from
www.canadadisciples.org
5.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
6.
Larsen, B.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 26: Luke (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc., 1983;
pp. 212-215)
7.
MacArthur,
J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New
American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006)
8.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles,
2005)
9.
Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1421-1422)
10. Bayless Conley, “The Secret to God’s Provision.”
Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
14.
Swindoll, Charles R.: Swindoll’s New Testament Insights on Luke (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2016, pp. 332-339)
15.
Richard Mansel, “Contentment is Never Found in
Things.” Retrieved from www.forthright.netg/2016/07/26/contentment-3/
16.
Billy Graham, “How Much Debt is Too Much?” Retrieved
from http://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham/s-1848539?print&ezine=202
17.
Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, 19th
Sunday -C- August 7, 2016.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
18.
Heather Lear, “Evangelectionary for Sunday, August 7th,
2016.” Retrieved from http://www.evangelismconnections.org/evangelectionary-for-sunbday-august-7-2016/
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