Our very life, the gift of life itself, is a stewardship opportunity. We are given a brief time on this earth (James 4:15) that is an opportunity to “do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31), which is the ultimate motivation and goal of all stewardship opportunities.
We are given two primary and central elements from scripture that govern our understanding of the stewardship of life from which all stewardship flows and upon which all stewardship is centered. These elements are the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. These two are intertwined together as the “center of the mark” in pursuing the faithful stewardship of life “for the glory of God”.
The Great Commission is our marching order. It is the purpose for which Jesus has “sent us” into the world, to make disciples of all nations (John 17:18). Making disciples takes place in all kinds of contexts.
The Great Commandment is the central theme of our life as a disciple (Matthew 22:34-40) as we live out the gospel in our daily lives within the context of where the Lord has planted us.
These two elements give us direction, focus, and clarity as to the general “will of God” for all Christians. They provide the framework through which we seek to bring honor and worship to the Lord in our daily lives.
In fact, this is our calling. Faithfulness to our calling is a matter of stewardship for each of us and for us collectively as a community of faith. Paul encourages us toward this faithfulness in Ephesians 4:1 where he writes, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
How does this particular framework affect our understanding and application of stewardship within other areas of life like time, possessions, finances, etc.? We’ll be looking at these subjects and others over the next few weeks.
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