Life Hidden in God: How Stewardship Brings it Out


"Your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3
What would the garden look like if Adam and Eve were good stewards of it? What would our life look like if we were good stewards of it? It would be something more beautiful then we could all ever imagine. There is more than what we are living for; we must labor with God to find it, cultivate it and live in it.  

 This was the thought running through my head this past week as I was driving down I-40. One of the mystical paradoxes of God is that he has given everything for life in him, yet it is up to us to find it; it has all been given, but we must seek it out to gain it; for, our "life is hidden with Christ in God." 

 If this is true, then it begs the question, what is required to find this hidden life with Christ in God? While there are many things we can use to search for this life, just as a detective has many ways to search for clues, so we too have many ways to search for the life God has given us in Christ. One of the ways we can find this life is through stewardship.

 The primary dealing of stewardship is the understanding and practice that we do not own anything, but are only possessing something that was already given to us by someone else; in this case, all of life from God. Of which, this act is exercised first on obedience, not the revelation of understanding or reward--these things come later with obedience. The starting place of stewardship is doing well with what is currently in possession no matter how big or small. 

 The reward of stewardship is the revealing of the life that God has given us through it. This is what Adam and Eve were charged with in the garden: they were given a creation they did not make, then told to cultivate it, subdue it, and fill it (Gen 1:28). Which, reflects back on the original question, what wold the garden look like if Adan and Eve were good stewards to it? Instead of obeying God, and stewarding the garden, they wanted to be like God. Instead of caring for and multiplying the garden for increase, they devoured what as not theirs, thus breaking the command and call of stewardship. When stewardship is practiced life is given and revealed, but when it is broken life is taken away.

I propose here that if Adam and Eve would have stewarded the garden, as they were commanded, they would have found a life in God they had not yet experienced. So too it is with us. There is a life in God that we have yet to experience, and if we will only steward what he has already placed in our hands the fruit of our labor will be beyond anything we can imagine.

So, how can you practice stewardship? Here are some things that has helped me along the way:

  • Ask God to show you what he has already placed in your hands; sometimes we have more than we realize.
  • Ask God to give you wisdom on how to steward what is in your hands; watering a field that needs to be planted first is foolish and a waste of time. Knowing what to water and what to plant will create effective labor in stewardship.
  • Ask God to bless the work of your hands, as he did with Joseph (Gen 39:2-3).
  • Simply obey and let God bring increased life and revelation.
We do not always know the life that is hidden ahead of us, but we can discover what is hidden ahead of us. Stewardship is one key to unlocking that life that is "hidden with Christ in God." 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Church & Marriage: 3 Reasons its Helped Mine

Image
If the Church is the Bride of Christ, then it should be good for our marriage. I want to give you three reasons the Church has been good for my marriage: 1. My wife and I have weekly quality time together. This is especially important since we have kids. We get an hour and a half to enjoy each other's company, sometimes we even snuggle and kiss! This is also a time where we get to connect on a level much different than any other time or place during the week. Our sense of oneness is increased as we both pursue God--there is a dramatic weaving together that happens with God who created us, our marriage, and the Church as his Bride.  2. My wife and I have community around us. The best relationships my wife and I have ever had have come from our church-going life. There are people who know how to love well: they know how to treat you with respect and honor, they are there for you in hard times, they are people you can count on when you need them, they are people who know
Read more

How Complaining Can Become Your Coffin

Image
For everything there is a season,      a time for every activity under heaven. 2  A time to be born and a time to die.      A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3  A time to kill and a time to heal.      A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4  A time to cry and a time to laugh.      A time to grieve and a time to dance. 5  A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.      A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6  A time to search and a time to quit searching.      A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7  A time to tear and a time to mend.      A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 8  A time to love and a time to hate.      A time for war and a time for peace. -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8  Every season, or time period, in our life there is a certain identifying theme. These seasons can be full of joy, sorrow, wonder, excitement, disappointment, or heart-break. Some seasons in life we expect and plan for, and others we did not see coming. Take a
Read more

This is Who I am: Understanding Identity

Image
Why is it important to know our identity? Moreover, if God doesn't create our identity, then who or what will? If someone asked you, "who are you?" What would you say? Most of us might answer with what we do for a living, that we're a husband/wife, or give some cool nick name that our friends gave us. So, honestly, how would you answer that question? Answering this question, in whatever your answer is, is vastly important for all of life. Proverbs 27:19 gives greater insight, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man" (NIV). This verse shows us that our "heart" (identity) impacts all of life. Our identity, like the heart, is the control center for all of life. It becomes of critical importance to know our identity because it is the control center for our life. Scripture shows us that there is a direct parallel to our identity (the core of who we believe ourselves to be) and the actions that we choose to take in life
Read more