Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of
the Lord is. (Ephesians
5:17 )
Typically, when we hear the word,
“stewardship,” we think about money.
That is an element of stewardship, yet, it is much more than that. In the ancient world, a steward was a
household servant entrusted with the goods of another and accountable to his
master for how he managed those assets.
Therefore, we believers are servants of God, given His goods to care for
and invest—time, talent, treasure—all the gifts of God bestowed on earth in
view of the day of accounting in eternity.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 5:15-17 that we
are STEWARDS OF OUR STEPS. We are to “walk circumspectly”—to be careful where
we place our feet, setting them on the right path. As a child, I learned this truth when taught
to sing, “Be careful little feet where you go…There’s a Father up above, and
He’s looking down in love, so be careful little feet where you go.” God has a path for us to travel—a course
established according to His will and purpose for us. Yet, we walk through a spiritual minefield in
this world of sin. We must, therefore,
walk in wisdom (v.15). A wise walk is
directed by our roadmap—the Word of God, and accessed through prayer (James 1:5 ). In this walk, we treasure the time
(v.16). There is a destination called
eternity and only a set number of hours on earth—so our pace must be swift and
steady—not being detoured by the Devil!
Then, we are to be STEWARDS OF OUR
SANCTUARY (Eph.5:18 ). Our body is the sanctuary of the Spirit (1 Cor.6:15-20 ). Jesus has purchased us with His blood, and we
will render an account of the deeds done in the body at the Judgment Seat of
Christ (2 Cor.5:6-10 ). Paul tells us that there is an intoxication
to be refused, “do not be drunk with wine….” Alcohol is so dangerous that avoiding it
altogether is the wisest course.
Drunkenness is dissipation—a wild and wanton waste of life. We have all witnessed the sad result of
abusing alcohol—destroying family, finances and health. Instead, we are called to an infilling to be
received, “be filled with the Spirit….” In refusing to let your body be under the
control of alcohol, yield your body to the control of the Holy Spirit! As destructive as the former is, so
delightful is the latter. The old hymn
tells us how to be filled with the Spirit, “Trust and obey, for there’s no
other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Furthermore, we are STEWARDS OF
OUR SPEECH (Eph.5:19-21 ). Jesus said, “for
every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of
judgment.” (Matt.12:36 ) This has implications in our singing
(v.19). If our heart is in tune with
God, then the lyrics of our lips will flow from the love for Him in our heart. This has implications for our thanksgiving
(v.20). We bring the sacrifice of praise
into the house of the Lord. Rather than
the destructive expression of grumbling, there is the constructive exclamation
of gratitude. This has implications for
our submitting (v.21). We defer to one
another when we speak words that heal rather than hurt—when we consider others
as to the effects of our speech.
We have a sacred stewardship—how will we
invest our time, our body, and our words?
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