The topic for this week has been stewardship. God has given all of us responsibilities in this life, and He expects us to make wise decisions with what He has entrusted us with. This week I blogged about what it means to be a good steward of our finances, our time and our health. We need to be good stewards of our finances by first finding contentment in Christ, and then by guarding our hearts from the love of money (1 Timothy 6:6-10). We also need to make sure that we are not making an idol out of money. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24).” We need to be good stewards of our time by making sure that we are actually bearing fruit in our lives, as opposed to just being busy. We should also set healthy boundaries, in order to manage our time wisely so that we can take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Being good stewards of our health is very important. We need to let go of addiction’s and bad habits by turning to God for help and healing and by seeking help and support from others. We need to make eating well and exercising a priority, also, and take care of our mental, emotional and spiritual health. “God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:17).” To read more about being a good steward of finances, time and health, then refer back to the previous blog’s. The list is endless when it comes to stewardship. However, I wanted to highlight some of the most important areas in our lives.
Relationships are another very important area that we need to be good stewards of. As Christian’s, our first and most important relationship is and should be with the Lord. It’s important to put God above everyone and everything else in your life. When we put other people or things before God (our job, our spouse, ourselves, etc.), then we are committing idolatry. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.” Make time for God on a daily basis through prayer, Bible study, Christian literature, worship, or in other ways that help you connect with Him. Don’t just check Jesus off of your to do list. Go deeper and get to know God better. Take time to listen to Him and His heart, as well. Relationships shouldn’t be one sided. They are always a two way street. When we open ourselves up to God, He will open Himself up to us. The Bible says that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us, so keep reaching out to Him. When I take the time to really think about it, it is absolutely amazing to me that we are able to communicate directly with God, hear His voice, connect with Him and have a relationship with Him every day. If it weren’t for the blood of Jesus Christ being poured out for our sins, then we wouldn’t be able to connect with God in this way. I am thankful to Jesus for what He did for me!
It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind of our lives and put off thing’s like going to church, praying or having quiet time with God, but we have to make Him our top priority. After all God has done for us, He deserves and is more than worthy of our time and all that we have to offer. It goes without saying, also, that having a relationship with the Creator of the universe is indescribable! There is no one like Him! As we pour in to our relationship with the Lord, He will pour in to us, and He will enable us to reach out and help others. “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6).” If we want more from our relationship with God and if we want to grow spiritually, then we have to “sow generously” into our relationship with Him. I firmly believe that God wants to grow us up in Him, and that Christian’s should be growing in their walk with Christ. I don’t believe that God intends for any of His children to stay in one place spiritually. We need to walk with God daily and make sure that we aren’t spiritually stagnant. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:19-34).”
The next, most important relationship that we have (after God) is our relationship with our family. It’s important that we sow quality time in to our relationship with our spouse, children, and extended family. We all have responsibilities outside of our homes, and we need to take care of them. However, we need to make sure that our families feel loved, secure and taken care of above all else. Doing your part financially to take care of your family is a great blessing, but don’t forget that taking care of your family is so much more than monetary. My husband and I are newlyweds, and we don’t have children yet. Even though it is just the two of us (and our dog’s), we are a family. It is important to us that we take time to pour in to our marriage (family) by spending quality time together, opening our hearts, sharing our thoughts, having fun, being romantic, and doing all of the things that we can do, in order to grow together. Anyone who has been married for any period of time knows that marriage is not always easy. Sometimes you will argue or disagree, and sometimes life will be stressful, but the important thing is to make sure that Christ is at the center of your relationship and that you are unified.
The same scenario goes for married couples with children. Even though it may be a little harder to make quality time for your marriage, you have to. Don’t neglect your spouse. It’s vital that your marriage grow through every season of life, because one day your children will leave home, and you want to make sure that you’re still married to your best friend. Also, neglect of your marriage can lead to things like temptation, depression, infidelity or divorce, and Christian’s know that is not God’s best for His children. Find a sitter and have a date night once a week. Take a couples vacation once a year and leave your children with a family member or trusted friend. Be romantic with your spouse. Don’t lose that spark!
It’s also important to have quality time with your children. Make time for your children by being involved in their lives. Don’t put your job, career or ministry before them. Let them know that you love them and that they are important to you. The decisions that you make concerning your children will shape and mold their identity and their sense of self worth. If the Devil can get in to our homes and families and divide us, then he will. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25).” To be a good steward of your family, stay unified!
Make time for your extended family, as well. This can be difficult if your parents are divorced, if your extended family lives in a different city or state, or if there has been division in some of the relationships in your extended family. Do the best that you can, in order to visit and spend time with them. If there is division among you and someone in your family, then pray about it, and seek reconciliation. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18).” Issues with family can be difficult, but with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
If you don’t have any extended family, then create one! Personally, I consider some of my friends as family. All Christian’s are brothers and sisters in Christ. Connect with the people in your church family, and build bonds that will last a lifetime. This brings me to the final important relationship that we should be good stewards of, which is the relationship that we have with our friends. As we get older, move, marry, have children, change jobs, and move into different seasons of our lives, it can often be difficult to meet and keep friendships. Sometimes people will come and go, but others will always be there for you, and you will always be there for them. It’s easy to determine those relationships that have a lifetime bond, but it’s important that we don’t take them for granted. Make time for the friends that you have in your life. Call your friends at least once a week. Get together with your friends at least once or twice a month. Send them a text message just to know that you’re thinking of them. Pray for them. The most important thing that we have in this life is our relationships with others. Remember Galatians 6:7, which says, “A man reaps what he sows.” If you want to reap quality friendships, then you have to sow love and quality time into your friendships. All of us have busy lives, but we need to make time for the people who are important to us. What good is it if we have successful jobs, careers and/or ministries, if we don’t have success in our relationships and friendships?
God has made us stewards over our finances, time, health, relationships and many other areas of our lives. What we do with our responsibilities is solely up to us, and God wants to help us make wise decisions. Life can be difficult, and sometimes we will fail, sin and make mistakes but all of life is a learning experience. Our failures can be life lessons and teachers to help us make better choices, and God will always forgive us and help us to start anew.
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