Stewardship

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 NKJV

Originally, a steward was a servant responsible to bring food and drink to the master of the home.Later, it morphed into a larger occupation - that of managing the domestic affairs of the household including finances in some cases. When people began to travel more extensively in the last two centuries, a steward was the one responsible to see to their comfort, meals and other necessities during their trip by boat, train or plane.

But in 2012, the definition of a steward has expanded to refer to responsible planning and managing of our resources - everything from caring for our environment to our finances, health, property and even information as we communicate on a global level. We see the theme of personal responsibility all the time as we are urged to "go green" to protect our environment.

But for us as Christians, the term "stewardship" has an even deeper meaning - to take responsible care of all these resources because they really belong to God. To God, people have always been more important than material possessions so what is boils down to is that we need to live a life based on giving and serving, using the resources God has given us.

It means becoming attentive to the needs of others around us and serving them out of a willing heart - yes, even giving our very lives away if necessary to serve others in order to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:38 The Message

Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

In the end, it's the job with the best satisfaction / compensation rate!

Father, help me to be a good steward of the resources you've given me. Amen!

Staring at ceramic geese

My Danny Boy Dawg is a hunter at heart, but now that he's somewhere between 10 and 12 years old, with arthritis in his back and hind legs, he can't hunt like he used to. Ever since we got him from NBRAN (a Brittany rescue organization) 2 years ago, he spends his doggy days with his nose to the ground leisurely exploring his back yard or lying in a patch of warm sunlight on his soft blankets, chasing birds and other small, furry critters in his dreams.

Every once in a while, he shows his true hunting nature though. Several weeks ago when a baby bird fell from its nest during a bad storm, Danny had his nose to the front door all day long, wanting to go out and get the bird sitting on a fallen tree branch .

There's another nest of baby birds in a bush just off the front deck that he loves to watch as well - he could sit there for hours just staring at them, every muscle in his body tense and ready should they dare to leave the nest. And all the local chippies know they better hide when Danny's outside.

But my favorite Danny Dawg hunting incident happened last week when we were on vacation at our friend's cabin. We took Danny for a walk around the campground. Suddenly his body tensed and he inched as close as he could to two white ceramic geese, each about a foot tall, in a permanent camper's yard. For several minutes, he stood perfectly still, eyes focused on the pair, willing them to move so he could chase them.


Even though he's older now and apparently can't see very well, when he encounters a bird or small animal, his hunting training and instincts kick in. He focuses on that which he's been trained to do.

What a great reminder for us as Christians! "Teach me your way, Lord, so that I can walk in your truth. Make my heart focused only on honoring your name." Psalm 86:11 CEB

Amen!