StewardLife Lesson 7

"...Somebody's Got to Do It."

“Look, it's raining!” said Joey	“Are the car windows closed?” called mom from the kitchen. "No," replied Joey.
"Well, run out there and do it," Mom ordered.	“Julie,” called Joey, “Mom says to go out and close the car windows so the rain won't get in.”
"Why can't you do it?" Julie asked.	"I'm taping this TV program and I have to stay here to take the commercials out. I can't do it," replied Joey.
"Robert," Julie called out, "Mom says to get out there and close the car windows because of the rain."	"Forget it, Julie," said Robert. "I'm on the highest level ever on this video game and I'm not stopping now. You go do it."
"Can't," Julie said to Robert. "I'm halfway through trimming my hair and I can't get it wet."	Mom heard all the yelling through the house and expected what the problem was. She was getting pretty upset. She glanced out the window at the car and saw that the windows were rolled up!
The back door swung open and slammed shut. There stood four-year-old Sammy, dripping wet.	"Where were you?" asked Mom. "Closing the car windows," said Sammy, as he mopped his face with a paper towel. "I heard everybody else making excuses. Somebody had to do it."
Before Sammy could even get himself completely dried off, there was a mug of warm chocolate milk steaming on the table as mom's way of saying "Thanks."

INSIGHT OUT:

One of the most popular authors today is Leonard Sweet. He has written books such as Soul Tsunami and Aquachurch, both seen on pastor's book-shelves and in congregation libraries. He is another one of those "prophets" whose mission is to try to help the church understand the changing society around us. 

In talking about his newest book, Soul Salsa, he puts forth an interesting image of growing up into Christ. 

Sweet reports that science has discovered, of course, that all matter is made up of electrons, neutrons and protons. But those particles are also built of even smaller pieces, called quarks. There are six flavors (really! this is what quantum physics scientists call them) of quarks: top, bottom, strange, charm, up, down. But recently we have discovered that even quarks are made of something else: vibrating strings of energy. 

And in this new book, Sweet argues, this means that since all creation is made up of vibrating strings, all creation is music--it is a song!

And in his way of creating images for us to use to guide our lives, Sweet calls Jesus “God's Perfect Pitch,” the Tuning Fork to whom we tune our lives. 

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” 

If, as our reading says , “We know that when it will be shown (what we are going to be), we will be like Him,” then my goal is to grow up to be as close to being like Jesus as I can. 

Every one of us is still “under construction” as a Christian. 

We are all still “growing up into Christ.” 

Using Sweet's image, “We strive to tune our lives to God's Perfect Pitch.” 

By nature, we live lives that are pretty off-key. The environment in which we live affects how our lives sound to God. To tune our lives to God's pitch is not our work but God's. 

A violin that is out of tune certainly cannot tune itself. It takes someone who has mastered the violin to make it play beautiful music. 

In the same way, it takes the One who has mastered life to be able to bring each of our lives into tune with God. By becoming human, living the perfect life, dying and rising, Jesus becomes the One who has the ability to make our life-song acceptable to God.

EXERCISE: 

A hoe doesn't know a weed from a potato. If not, then who or what does know the difference? You do. Think of one talent you have. Now think of one tool that can be used to get that talent into service to others. How can you best join that talent to that tool?

Don't be surprised to discover… If your gift is wisdom God will place you among fools.

Can you name one job that serves no one? Someone made everything around you right now. They made it for you to use--to serve you. Everything you do uses things made by, or makes things to be used by--others. We are ultimately all in service to one another. That's the steward life.

“No matter what type of job you have and no matter what the circumstances in your workplace, you can be content and highly productive. It does not matter that the work is monotonous or dirty or seemingly pointless. It does not matter that you may have to continually deal with irate or rude customers and coworkers. The quality of your work life can be regulated wholly by your personal perspective on the work. If you choose to view your job as service to God and simply decide to be satisfied with all you do, your work will be fulfilling no matter what you are doing.” (Michael Zigarelli in his book Christianity 9 to 5, page 69) 

1 Peter 4:10-11 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully managing God's grace in its various forms. If someone speaks, do it as one speaking God's very words. If someone serves, do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES--PRINCIPLE SEVEN

God's stewards are served and serving. God's stewards recognize that their stewardship involves a Gospel-powered style of life that is demonstrated in servanthood in all arenas of life. See Philippians 2:5-8; Matthew 20:26b-28; Matthew 25:31-46; John 13:3-5, 15-17. Service done for the benefit of the community and world also is Christian stewardship. Stewards adopt the attitude of a servant in relationships with others and serve them with personal acts of compassion and service.

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Click Here to order Soul Tsunami by Leonard Sweet from Zondervan Publishing House.