Word for the day day by Christian Education Forum

 

Christian Stewardship 1 Timothy 6:17-21 “Guard what has been entrusted to your care.” 1 Timothy 6:20 Christian stewardship, simply put, means we must take care of the things that God has entrusted to us. In our passage for today, Paul is writing to Timothy to give him advice on how to handle the issues transpiring in the church of Ephesus. As a leader of the church, it was Timothy’s responsibility to practice Christian stewardship by taking care of the church that God had placed under his ministry. Though many of us may not be working directly in ministry today, this passage underscores how Christian stewardship includes being responsible with the good things that God gives us. Let us further explore what this meant for those in the Ephesian church. Many people in the church of Ephesus were very wealthy. As such, idolizing money was a prevalent problem. Paul addressed this issue earlier in the chapter by describing the love of money as the “root of all kinds of evil” (v.10). He shared that an unhealthy relationship with money made it easier to fall into temptation that led to negative consequences including wandering from the faith and experiencing unnecessary grief (v.10). It is important for us to understand that money in and of itself is not something bad. However, when we begin to idolize and serve money by letting it consume our lives and drive our decisions, it becomes problematic. From this passage, Paul points out that there are some pragmatic reasons for why money should not be our master. First, he states that we should not place our hope in something that is uncertain (v.17). We could be wealthy one day and poor the next. In contrast, our God is unchanging and eternal. Therefore, it is more practical to put our faith in Him as opposed to money or any other idol in our life. Secondly, Paul encourages us to put our hope in God because He “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v. 17). This is extremely important for us to understand: God gives us good things and truly wants us to experience joy. Anything we could possibly need will be given to us by God. So, if that is the case, why should we put our faith in anything else but Him? As we spend some time in reflection, let us ask, what gifts are God calling us to be stewards of today? Is he inviting us to re-evaluate our relationship with money or the other idols in our lives? Let’s spend some confessing our sins and lifting our prayers to God.

PRAYER Father God, we ask that you convict us of the idols in our lives that we have put in place of you. We repent of the sin of thinking that anything or anyone can satisfy us and bring us joy the way you can. Please forgive us and shower us with your grace. I pray that we may be faithful stewards of every good thing you have entrusted us with. We love you, Lord. Amen.   Thought for the day  “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matt 6: 24

Marybeth Babu Long Island Mar Thoma Church, NY