Thursday, February 14, 2013

The Third Sphere of Stewardship – Dr. Tony Evans


The Third Sphere of Stewardship – Dr. Tony Evans

In His Presence: Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:20-21).

God has also given us stewardship over the area of our treasures, the "stuff" in our lives. God wants us to bring all of that under His lordship. One aspect of treasures is our relationships. In Luke 14:26, Jesus said: "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple." God should have priority over all our relationships.

God should also have priority over our personal goals. Jesus said: "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (v. 27). We must be willing to trade in our own goals for His goals. Jesus also said: "None of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions" (v. 33). Being willing to give over all we have is a sign that we understand that God is in control, and stuff is just stuff.

The story of the legendary Titanic captures the meaning of stewardship. Everyone who boarded the Titanic operated on time, expecting to depart and arrive on a certain day. The ship's design reflected great talent, and the ship's designer even said it was "unsinkable." And the ship was filled with treasure, the finest of everything. But an iceberg punctured that ship and caused everything on it to become meaningless. As the ship sank, time was up, man's talent became a tomb in the sea, and the treasures of this world were fish food.

One Minute Please

We must answer to the Lord concerning the use of our time, talents, and treasures.

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