Apr 28, 2020
By JR Shick
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.”
—Genesis 2:15 (NIV 1984)
When I was younger and in my father’s household I was given instructions to do chores of various kinds. Dishes, cleaning, cutting the grass, taking out the trash, and anything my father and mother told me to do was the norm of life. When I moved out and began living on my own, I found that I continued to do many of those chores. I had a new perspective on why chores needed to be done. Things were mine and I liked things to be taken care of. Now I have a family of my own and the responsibility of teaching my children the value and, at times, the importance of making sure things are looked after is now mine.
Many of us see stewardship in our churches as taking care of the affairs or facilities of God’s Church. I asked my son Keith what he thought stewardship meant. In his 10 year-old mind he said, “I don’t know.” So I gave him the definition: “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something.” (According to Merriam Webster.) He responded with, “Oh, like when I clean off the steps and doorway at the church!” He was referring to snow removal. I asked him if he thought that it was important to do this job and he said, “Yes—because it is an emergency exit and if I did not clean the steps off people would not be able get out without getting hurt!” Let me tell you, that wasn’t the response I was expecting. Keith’s response reflected a wise and mature perspective. This caused me to reflect on my own understanding and I came up with some questions: Are there just a few of us taking care of the building and grounds of the church in hopes of a legacy for the next generation? How old are the individuals doing the jobs that need to be done in and around the church? Are the duties of the church done by someone who is a paid person? Do we see value in teaching others about stewardship in our families—not just in our homes but in the family of the Lord?
As Keith was still with me, I asked him what is a generous person and he said, “Well, if you see someone in need, you just give it to them.” Essentially, Keith was giving the equation: if you have something + someone in need = you give. At that time the 10-year-old mind was right—however, it was just a few days prior he was yelling at his sister for using his iPod charger. In his simplistic way, Keith was able to identify the key aspect of both words. What we have is not ours, it all belongs to God. Many look at giving out of abundance, however that is not being generous the way God intended for HIS people to be.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” —Acts 4:32 (NIV 1984)
A family in White Cloud bought a used vehicle. However, they needed to sell their current vehicle in order to pay for the new one. A second family in White Cloud had their only car break down beyond repair. Even though the first family needed the money from the sale of their car, they gave the car to the second family. Someone asked the first family why they gave the car to the second family knowing they needed to sell it for the money. Their response was, “I can still go to work. They do not have a car at all and cannot go to work without a car. Their need is greater than mine.” If you have something + someone in need = you give. Therefore, my generosity comes from my stewardship. The greatest act of stewardship is to be generous with others.
Remember those questions from before? In the Gospel of John chapter 21, Jesus asks Peter if he loved HIM. As Peter responded that he did, Jesus gave him three orders: “Feed my lambs; Take care of my sheep; and Feed my sheep.” We can apply this command to ourselves to tend, care for, and provide spiritual food to others. We can teach and instruct how to be generous stewards with those God has put in our lives. A coach does not explain the rules of the game one time and then tell his team to win games while he stays at home watching the game on TV. Coaches stand on the sidelines instructing, encouraging, and inspiring their teams each and every practice and game. He molds the players into the best athlete they can be through hard work and dedication. Become a “coach” by encouraging younger men to share in the responsibilities of taking care of the facilities and church grounds. Be a “coach” and give children the opportunity to pray, read Scripture, and sing praises. Be a “coach” and help prepare someone to give their testimony on Sabbath morning. Be a “coach” in ways that help others to be generous stewards of God’s Church. If we don’t “coach” or prepare our family, who will?
