Stewardship: Get To Work “Let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they not be unfruitful.” Titus 3:14 Proverbs 6:9-11; Ephesians 4:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:10 When God made Adam, the first charge He gave him was to be productive. Even in a perfect environment, Adam had a job to do. If you want to be an effective and fruitful steward, taking your Master’s resources and increasing them to His glory and your benefit, you need to engage in productive work. In order to have “something to share” (Ephesians 4:28), you have to have something left over. Paul said the way you have something left over to give is by labor. By the way, that’s what’s wrong with gambling in hope that you’ll strike it rich and never have to work again. You can’t substitute luck for productive labor. That’s not what God had in mind. This is why you never help people who don’t want to work. Part of good stewardship is seeking opportunities to be productive instead of waiting for something to be handed to you. The problem with much of our contemporary welfare system is that it is an incentive not to work. I’m not talking about people who can’t work. I’m talking about people who won’t work. According to Paul, if a person who refuses to work comes home saying, “I’m hungry,” tell him, “Starve.” That’s what the Scripture says. God made us to be productive. He made us for meaningful work and made provision for us to enjoy the fruit of our work. Instead of wondering when he’s going to get a slice of the handout pie, a good steward is busy baking pies, enjoying the results, and sharing what he has with others. Some people question investing, because it doesn’t fit their idea of work. But there’s nothing wrong with legitimate investments, because they are part of the productivity mechanism. God told Adam to plant seeds. Seed-planting is an investment made in anticipation of a good return. Ever since the Fall, mankind has been inventing ways to avoid honest, productive labor. Your job is a major part of your stewardship from God. Are you performing it as if He were your employer? Actually, he is! From the very beginning, God prescribed work as part of His creative order. It’s not punishment for the Fall. There’s one aspect of stewardship you do not hear much about, but it’s appropriate that we reflect upon it. It has to do with the seventh day, which God set aside for His and man’s enjoyment and which the Bible calls the Sabbath. After God had worked six days in creation, He sat back and rested….not because He was tired, but that He might enjoy His creation. Then God said, “This is such a good thing to do that I’ll share it with my creation.” That’s why we celebrate the Lord’s day every Sunday. It is a day set aside for us to enjoy God in the context of worship and to enjoy His created order. Besides providing a day of rest and worship, God honors His children in other ways. Read Ecclesiastes 5:18, and you’ll see that God’s reward for you as His child is that you might enjoy His goodness. He says, “I want you to enjoy your labor and it’s fruit. So you ought to do things well. Work and play hard. If you love your job, you should love the fruit of your job. Solomon says that God has given all of this for us to enjoy. My point is if you are honoring God with your money, when He gives you a little extra, and you want to do something fun with it in a way that does not dishonor him, God says He has given you that extra to enjoy. You don’t need to feel guilty for enjoying it either. God is not a miserly giver. Determine you’ll be faithful in your stewardship, thank Him for His provision, and enjoy Him. Posted by David Coleman of The DC Ministry “Sharing The Gospel.”
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 12:03:31 +0000
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