It's not a bad word, I promise. Now, what word, you ask?
I'll tell you right after we roll this intro for this week's
episode of Liberty at Home. Well, hello there.
What a surprise to see you. Thanks for joining me at ECAD
Studios for this week's newest edition of Liberty at Home.
I'm your host Pastor Adam Rivero, and I lead the Liberty
Baptist Church right here in Easton on Route 138.
And Speaking of Easton, we're broadcasting as always from
Easton, MA, home of a new bakery on Center St.
Go check out Sukkah's bakery behind.
It's not just Tabouli. And if that sentence doesn't
make sense to you, then you're definitely not from Easton.
Today we're going to read about just one verse as we talk about
one word, one single word that strikes abject fear in the
hearts of many. Are you intrigued?
Well, let's read our verse and then I'll tell you what word I'm
talking about. Psalm 24, verse one says the
earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and
they that dwell therein. Each week in churches all across
the world, pastors use various theological words and terms.
We sprinkle them into our sermons, our public prayers, and
into our conversations with those who attend service.
But I've noticed there's one word that caused a visible
reaction more than almost any other word.
It's likely not a word you're thinking of now, but as soon as
I say it, you'll likely know exactly what I'm talking about.
Are you ready? The word is stewardship.
Just say the word stewardship and folks gasp as men quickly
hide their wallets and women clutch their purpose purses.
OK, that's a slight exaggeration.
However, stewardship usually involves thoughts of building
programs, capital campaigns, and annual budgets.
Stewardship makes people think of a thermometer prominently
placed in the sanctuary of the church to aid in tracking the
financial progress of a special project.
Yes, people can get very nervous when the pastor begins talking
about stewardship. Now, I'm not a marketing guru,
but if I was to make a slogan for the word stewardship, I
think it would be this stewardship.
It's a lot more than money. You see, our view of stewardship
is often so narrow that all we consider is our finances.
However, God's view of stewardship is much further
reaching than our own. What is stewardship then?
Well, it's when someone cares for something on behalf of
another. Remember Psalm 24, verse one?
It lays out the foundation of stewardship when it says the
earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and
they that dwell therein. All that is in this world,
including the possessions we believe are ours, are really
things entrusted to us by God. We must care for all things the
Lord has given us, which means we must be stewards in every
area of our life. You see, stewardship really is a
lot more than money. The Bible is full of examples of
things we must be stewards of. For instance, First Corinthians
chapter 4 verse one tells us we're to be stewards of the
mysteries of God, which is the gospel message.
First Peter chapter 4 verse 10 reminds us we're to exercise the
gifts and abilities God has given us to be stewards of the
grace of God. Proverbs 6 uses the example of
ants to teach us that we must be good stewards of every hour and
every minute. God gives us.
These verses and countless other passages remind us that
stewardship is a full time occupation.
What does it all mean? Well, as we live a life of
stewardship, we should always be looking for ways to invest.
Remember, this isn't just talking about money.
Rather, we want to be good stewards of our time, our
talents, and our treasure so we can be faithful servants of God
and conduits of His blessings to the people around us.
Simply put, God gives to us and we invest in others.
As we continue to invest, God entrust us with more which we
again invest in others. You see, this is a never ending
circle of giving and getting and giving and getting and it's what
stewardship is all about. So the next time you hear the
word stewardship, don't get nervous.
Instead, look at the full view of the stewarding life and know
it's one of the greatest adventures and blessings any
believer can be a part of. You know it's always a joy to be
able to visit with you on liberty at home, but our time
has quickly expired for this week's episode.
But right before I go, I want to remind you to make this week the
week you visit us at Liberty Baptist Church.
We're located 800 Washington St. in Easton, and we meet on
Sundays at 10 AM, 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM, as well as having a
midweek service on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.
Want to learn more about us before your visit?
For an open book? You can check out our live
stream services, sermon, podcast, doctrinal statement,
and so much more at my libertybaptist.org.
You know what I'm about to say, right?
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
I'm Adam Rivera and I'll see you next week for our next edition
of Liberty at Home.