Stewardship and Sanctifying Grace

(I wrote this article for our November church newsletter) but wanted to share it in this blog also)

Stewardship and Sanctifying Grace: These are some of the things that have been rattling in my brain for the past several weeks, among many other things.

I think part of the reason for that is because Bethel has been conducting a stewardship campaign that is about to culminate on November 2. This would be today for those reading the church newsletter hot off the press.
According to Webster’s, a steward is “one who manages another’s property or financial affairs, one who administers anything as the agent of another or others.”

We looked at and talked about stewardship and learned or, for some of us, remembered anew that stewardship is much more than just dealing with money. If we believe that we owe God everything that we are and everything that we have, then stewardship is how we handle everything that has been entrusted to us. If that is the case (and I am convinced it is), then stewardship is also an everyday lifestyle not just something we think about a few weeks out of the year, and grudgingly go through because it’s what churches seem to do around October/November each year.

I think another reason I have been thinking about stewardship is because I have been on a low carb diet for a while (or at least trying to be. Do you know there are carbs in just about everything?!) and have lost a decent amount of weight already and I am continuing toward my weight loss goal with the help of some EGH staff/RN. I also exercise more regularly these days because I want to be and remain healthy both of body and mind.

A couple of passages that come to mind, as I am working toward going back to my wedding day girlish figure, are:
1 Corinthians 3:16-17: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
And verse 6:19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

When Paul is writing this to the folks in the church in Corinth around the year 55 of our era, they are experiencing division, misunderstanding of basic Christian teachings, spiritual arrogance and sexual misconduct…His exhortation still applies to us today.

When I read these verses, I often think “my temple is in need of a facelift! :)” You know, in your 4th decade of life, your body does not react or respond as it did in your 20’s and 30’s. Somehow fat turns into super glue. It just does not budge from your middle area. So I also think these verses mean that we are called to be mindful of how we feed our bodies and our mind, both with physical food – Do we eat healthy and balance meals? - and also spiritual food. Are the things we see and hear and read uplifting to our spirit? Or do we consume spiritual junk food or even toxic food in the form of violence or/and pornography? Things that, instead of edifying and lifting us up, are bringing us down and leaving us stuck at a level where God never meant for us to be. You know how you feel when you eat too much junk food and don’t get enough sleep and don’t spend enough time with God? That “icky” feeling.

I have also been thinking about Sanctifying Grace because I was invited to give a witness of sorts as I was asked to be one of the Spiritual Directors on the upcoming November 6-9 Women’s Emmaus Walk and give the talk on Sanctifying Grace. I previewed my talk to the Emmaus Walk team this past Saturday. God has so transformed my life these past 15 years ! It is a joy and a privilege to talk about that and remember my own walk of 8 years ago.

So what does stewardship have to do with Sanctifying Grace? Is there a relationship between Stewardship and Sanctifying Grace?
I believe there is. Through Sanctifying Grace we slowly become more like Jesus, after we have said “yes” to his call to follow him. God gives us His grace throughout our lifetime to enable us to live as a faithful Christian disciple (Eph. 3:14-19).

When we become more like Jesus, I believe God’s Spirit gives us the desire to be whole, not just spiritually but physically and emotionally also. God draws us into a better stewardship of what we have been given by Him.

There are some lines in a beautiful song (“My Heart, Your Home” by the husband/wife duo known as Watermark) I sang recently which really jumped at me about this whole topic:
Go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/watermark.html#interviews if you want to know more about Watermark (their ministry emphasis has been changing)

COME AND MAKE MY HEART YOUR HOME
COME AND BE EVERYTHING I AM AND ALL I KNOW
AND SEARCH ME THROUGH AND THROUGH
‘TIL MY HEART BECOMES A HOME FOR YOU

A HOME FOR YOU, LORD
A HOME FOR YOU, LORD
LET EVERYTHING I DO OPEN UP A DOOR FOR YOU
TO COME THROUGH
AND THAT MY HEART WOULD BE
A PLACE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE

This is a prayer, you know. A prayer that links stewardship and sanctifying grace together, I think. This is my prayer for you and for me. May it be so, with God’s help. Amen!