The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it; – Psalm 24:1
I’ve been very interested in stewardship lately. The Bible contains parables and verses explaining how we don’t actually own anything and aren’t the source of anything; it is all from God and for God. It may be a little disappointing to hear that nothing belongs to you, but I believe it is incredibly good news!
See we can’t create matter out of nothing, we can’t make someone love us, and we certainly cannot change our own hearts. Try as we might, we could never pay the price for our sins and are not able to strong-arm the Holy Spirit into dwelling in us. We can’t even keep the cells in our body together! That is all God.
God gives us so many things. Our bodies, our minds, people, resources, jobs, talents, rain, sun, and every other good thing in our lives. When we become Christians, He gives us a relationship with Himself, the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us, and spiritual gifts. These gifts are free and they are oh so generous, but we are meant to do something with them. We are to steward them!
What do I mean by that? I mean we need to take care of them and grow them. Every. Single. Gift.
If it’s a marriage, then I take good care of it. I communicate, spend time, apologize, forgive, laugh, cry, and pray for my husband. If I do this and my husband does this too then over time our relationship will grow. If it’s a house or a car then I treat it kindly. I thank God for it, and I perform maintenance. I share my home and give rides in my car to bless others. I worship there and invite the Holy Spirit in.
If it’s a spiritual gift, then I use it! Let’s say God gives me the gift of healing. It comes in a tiny little package that looks more like a desire to see people healed than the current ability. So I steward it. I start praying for people even if my faith is very small! I scour the Bible for the stories of healing to learn from Jesus and the early church and I look for people living today who have seen it.
When someone finally gets healed, I thank and praise God! I believe this is a key part of stewardship and we should not be overlooking it. I know a human can’t miraculously heal anyone so I know exactly where it came from. I tell my friends about it, record it, and ask God for another opportunity.
What about the gift of administration? I can thank God for this gift that is such a blessing to the body of Christ and those around it. I can take classes and apply myself, write down my successes, and celebrate God who is the ultimate administrator! I ask the Holy Spirit for ideas and I take steps when He shows me what to do. I can find people with the same gift to learn from and others to disciple.
I can be so childish. I want what I want, and I want it now! I often think if God gave me a spiritual gift, then it will be full grown the moment I receive it. Certainly, there have been times when someone is incredibly powerful in a gift right away but typically our gifts and responsibilities grow right along with our character. He cares more about us than our power and our possessions. He puts our relationship first and uses these gifts to draw us near and bless others.
If we hide or ignore our gifts from God things won’t go well! Everything God gives us is meant to be stewarded. If we fail to give thanks, give Him the glory, care for, and invest in these gifts, both physical and spiritual they will stagnate or diminish. We have all had something that we have neglected and seen the impact.
Is there a spiritual gift that you used to operate in or one that others once saw in you but you haven’t noticed in a while? It may be that it wasn’t stewarded well. It is worth spending some time with Jesus discussing it and asking for help. Think through what you did with the gift and ask when it started to diminish. If it’s something you just neglected change your mind about it and ask for it to grow again.
If there is a gift that God has given you and you are using it well now, then ask for more! Pray, read a book, or take a step out to use this gift in a new way. Watch it grow and bear new fruit! There is always more that God wants to produce in you.
I don’t have the power or understanding to do this alone. I must lean heavily on Him when I am stewarding the things that He owns, and that is everything I see! He owns it all! Everything we steward well will grow. Worship, friendship, spiritual gifts, wisdom, knowledge, skills, faith, finances, art, and the list goes on.
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