CARETAKERS

 

 

 

God made everything.  Then He gave the privilege of caring for it to us. We are God’s appointed caretakers or stewards, as the Bible calls us, and it’s a big job as well as a privilege. It’s like having a sparkling in-ground swimming pool in your back yard. You feel great sitting out there on the deck on a hot summer day jumping in and cooling off whenever you get the urge. Along with that privilege though, comes the responsibility of maintenance. If you neglect the job of cleaning the pool, keeping the filter running well and making sure the water level stays where it’s supposed to be, then pretty soon you won’t have a nice pool to enjoy. Now imagine that this pool is part of an estate with a mansion and tennis courts and everything else you could possibly want, but it doesn’t belong to you. The owner has left it to you to take care of while he’s out of town. That’s the reality of our situation. It all belongs to God including ourselves. He gives us things which He wants us to use wisely such as our bodies, our money and our abilities. He’s given instructions on how best to do this in His Word.

 

 Let’s first look at caring for our own bodies.

  

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.

 

Our bodies are powered by God. His breath or spirit is what gives us life. As good caretakers of what God has created, our first responsibility is to keep our own bodies in good shape. I am referring to things like exercise, proper rest, a good diet, plenty of water both inside and outside and fresh air. I don’t know about you, but there are some places in that list where I could do better. It makes God happy to see us healthy and let’s face it; it is to our benefit to listen to him.  

 

The Bible is not a physical health manual but does give some instruction in that area especially on the subject of diet. It tells us what the original diet consisted of.

 

Gen 1:29

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.”

 

These foods would have included such things as fruits, nuts, grains and berries. That was the ideal diet for our optimum health. Many people choose to continue in this kind of diet, and they are referred to as vegan, which simply means they eat no animal products. Some vegetarians add eggs and dairy products to the vegan diet; still others add poultry and fish. Whatever the choice is though, it’s all done in an attempt to keep the body healthy and strong for as long as possible, and that pleases God. These are lifestyle choices and are not mandated by God in the Bible.  However, there are some specific instructions given in the area of meat-eating. God gave Noah permission to eat meat just after the flood.

 

Genesis 9:3

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

 

During the flood every living thing was destroyed except for the people and animals that were on the ark.  Notice that the animals are designated as clean and unclean.

 

Genesis 7:1-2

And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female; and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

 

Later on God says this to Moses.

 

Leviticus 11:47

You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.

 

In Leviticus chapter 11 and in Deuteronomy chapter 14, God tells Moses the guide lines for determining which animals are good for food and which aren’t. Here are the three basics:

 

Deuteronomy 14:6-11

You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. 

 

This excludes such things as pigs and camels from our diets.  

 

Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales.  But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.

 

Seafood such as lobster, shrimp and clams do not pass this test.

 

You may eat any clean bird.

 

God gives a list of the unclean birds to Moses and it seems as if most of them are birds of prey, but not all of them. Read the whole chapters there in Leviticus and Deuteronomy for more details.

 

There are other things that we can take into our bodies which would harm or destroy it such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol. The American Medical Association can give you lots of information on the harmful effects of these things, but God is only specific with one of them and that’s the use of alcoholic beverages. See what He says here.

 

Proverbs 20:1. 

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

 

You don’t have to look far to find lives that have been ruined by the use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.  It certainly is in our best interest to stay away from them.

 

Secondly, let’s see what God has to say about our financial stewardship. Good stewards are good managers, and one thing we have to manage is our money. It is our responsibility to use our finances wisely. Our ability to earn a living is given to us by God so in effect all we have is His. He intends for us to use the majority of our money to support ourselves and our families, but He asks for a small portion of it to be returned to Him for the purpose of financing the needs of His church. Some times we think of church as a building but it’s really a group of people who have decided to follow God. They probably meet in a building which we call a church and that is where the confusion comes from. This group of people or church band together in order to encourage one another and to extend the knowledge of God and His love to the surrounding area and from there to the whole world. This costs money and all of it comes from the individuals who make up that church. This is accomplished by the freewill offerings of the church family.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6-7  

Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

Now, God puts these cheerfully given contributions into two categories.

 

Malachi 3:8

Will a man rob God?  Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say wherein have we robbed Thee?  In tithes and offerings.

 

A tithe is a set amount which is ten percent. Whether it is money or goods, tithe is one tenth of it. An offering is an amount determined by the giver and is based on how blessed by God he feels. The tithe is set apart for a specific purpose and that is to support the ministry. Those people who feel called to be pastors and devote their whole life to spreading God’s word are supported by the tithe. These pastors may oversee a local church or maybe more than one. They may be in charge of coordinating many churches in a large section of the country or they may be missionaries to other countries. Wherever they pastor though, the tithe is used to pay their salary. All of the other offerings go to finance the physical needs and programs that the church sponsors. This includes a church building and its upkeep, books and other materials needed for the work of spreading God’s message and community services which help people who are having financial difficulties.

 

You may be thinking that ten percent plus an additional offering sounds like a lot, but God promises something that changes that.

 

Malachi 3:10

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

 

This does not say that Christians who are faithful in tithe paying will become millionaires. It means that God will bless us with all that we need. It may come in the form of a bigger pay check or some unexpected tax return. It may also be an unseen blessing that saves us money such as a roof that lasts twice as long as it should. Most of all though, God blesses us with peace of mind and a true satisfaction with what we already have. God says to test him in this. Try it and you will see that God will keep up His end of the bargain.

 

The third area of stewardship that we will look at in this study is probably the hardest.  That is because it takes a commitment of our time. Taking care of our bodies requires self-control but not a lot of time. Being good stewards of our money takes some time for thought and a little more for writing checks. The third thing that I’m referring to is the wise use of our God-given abilities and talents in serving Him and our fellow man. It has to do with glorifying God and caring for others. Some of the money we give as an offering goes to help others in financial need, but there are other needs that money cannot meet. Some people just need a hug or a shoulder to cry on. They may need help finding a job or getting some education or training to get better employment. A mom might need someone to baby-sit so she can get a break from her children. There is the elderly person that just needs a visit and some companionship to fill up the lonely days. The list goes on and on, and there are as many needs as there are people.  

 

Using our God-given abilities for the good of others is a major part of what being a Christian is all about. Jesus spent most of His time doing just that. Filling people’s physical and emotional needs, though, is just the beginning. What is needed by everyone is spiritual fulfillment. They need to know God and His love. Among God’s followers there are some specific abilities, which are given by the Holy Spirit, that are especially helpful in this area.

 

Ephesians 4:11-12  

It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

 

The body of Christ is all of those who follow Him. God wants this group to grow and so he gives some the ability to lead out in this work, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a part to play if we’re not an apostle, evangelist, preacher, pastor or teacher. There are many other things we can do and whether we accept it or not, by our actions and words we are all teaching something to somebody. There are more than the five talents listed in Ephesians, so if you don’t feel especially talented in those areas maybe you are in some others. God wants us to understand that.

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-11  

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.  You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.  Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  Here are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

 

If you can say “Jesus is Lord,” then you have a spiritual gift or talent.  Whatever gifts God has given you, they are for the good of all and God decides who gets what gift. No matter how small or large we consider certain talents to be they are all of equal importance in the eyes of God. God only wants us to do the best with what we have been given and if we do, He blesses us and may increase that talent or even give us others. No one has all of the spiritual gifts but there is one that we all should have and can have. God alludes to it here.

 

1 Corinthians 12:31  

But eagerly desire the greater gifts.  And now I will show you the most excellent way.

 

What is that most excellent way?

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-3  

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.   If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

 

Without love everything else is meaningless. We need that love but it’s not something we have naturally. It is also a gift.

 

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love.

 

Love comes from God. If we ask Him for it, He will give it to us. He is infinite and so is His love, so that our love for Him and for our fellow man can grow as long as we live.

 

Let us never forget that God is able to do everything but He won’t force us to do anything. If you want to be a good steward all you have to do is ask God to make you one. If we give Him our permission He will change us into what will make Him and us happiest.

 

In our next study we will look more closely at one of the gifts given to God’s followers by the Holy Spirit. That study is titled Modern Prophets.