musical monday

Our pastor has been preaching a "Simple" sermon series, breaking things down for us, and it has been so challenging to me. Yesterday's message was "Stewardship Made Simple" and it definitely challenged me as well.

So often I think the word "stewardship" sends our minds straight to thinking about how we're spending our money, but Christian stewardship is so much more than that.  Through stewardship, we honor God.  And we are called to honor God in every aspect of our lives. As our pastor challenged us yesterday (here come the three points), this means that:

 1. God is the Owner
 2. We are the Managers
 3. We better do it (stewardship) right!

You can read Matthew 25:14-30 to for the origin of these truths.

One of the great points our pastor made is the fact that we are only responsible for the "talents" (read it: "all") that we have been given, not something that someone else has been given.

As freeing as this statement is, I still have to go straight back to Matthew 7:3 to be further warned to hold myself accountable.  Here we read, "And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"  Let me tell you...I have a much easier time of figuring out how someone else should be spending their time and talents than I do for myself.  That's definitely how I feel challenged.

When I think about the three points from yesterday's sermon, they are all great truths.  #1: God is the owner of everything.  #2: He has allowed us to be managers.  #3: We better do it right.  These do not change, but we must submit to the authority of #1 and utilize well our role in #2, because #3 is serious.

A song that has really spoken to me lately is Starry Night by Chris August.  The second verse caught my attention this past week because it so poetically points to Matthew 7:3.

From the autumn leaves, 
That will ride the breeze
To the Faith it takes,
To pray and sing
From the Painted sky, 
To my plank filled eye

He is God of all, He is everything

God is Lord of all whether or not we acknowledge Him to have that authority.  He has given us all we have and amazingly, He even wants what we offer back to Him.  He just asks that we do.