Have you ever considered what it means to be a good steward? Many think that wealth is a sign of good stewardship, but that is not the case in the Lord’s eyes. Think of the widow and her two mites? Was she a good steward? Absolutely. Wealth is not necessarily the sign of good stewardship at all. What sort of things might we think about when it comes to being a good steward with our blessings?

“Now Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim 6: 7,8). Many folks are hoarders. They live like a king, in this case, king Solomon. Whatever his heart desired, he did not restrain himself (Eccl 2:10). Those who do not learn to be content with little will not be content with much. We need to learn how to be abased and how to abound, just like Paul.

Ifwe have been blessed with much what should we do? “Command those who are rich in this present age not be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share…” (1 Tim 6: 17,18). If we will be content with little that will allow us to share with others who have need. Money is not evil, but the love of money certainly is. Good stewards understand that our blessings are to be used. We enjoy them and we share them.

The Lord has always condemned wastefulness. Just think of the prodigal son amongst many other passages mentioning the sin of waste. How would you describe wastefulness? James condemns praying for more just to spend on our pleasures. The man who is not content is wasteful. The man who spends just to spend, is also wasteful. The man who spends unwisely is wasteful. A number of different ideas can be considered in whether something is wise or foolish, but make no mistake; a wastrel is foolish and a fool is wasteful.

Yes, today’s society is seriously lacking in good stewards. Many will spend their hard earned money on a 1 in a billion chance of vast riches. Many will spend it on whatever keeps them from having to break a sweat. Many will spend it on absolutely frivolity. Just remember, where your treasure is, there your heart will be too. Be a good and wise steward.

Woodland Church of Christ

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“Give of the best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth; Throw your soul’s fresh glowing ardor into the battle for truth. Give, and to you shall be given; God His beloved Son gave; gratefully seeking to serve Him, give Him the best that you have…

“Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord though he knew only the baptism of John. So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18: 24-26). What a wonderful account!

Apollos was a good speaker, but did you notice what preceded that? Someone had instructed him in the way of the Lord. Where would Apollos have been without this foundation, and what a foundation it was; the teachings of John the Baptist. Before he ever had the tentmakers’ help, someone else had helped him. Thank God for those who will teach others and that does bring us to Aquila and Priscilla. They could have easily thought that teaching Apollos was not their job. They could have easily said “We need a preacher to speak to him.” Praise the Lord that they did not. They took it upon themselves to speak to this stranger.

Apollos was fervent in spirit the account says. The word literally means “hot”. He was zealous. What are we if we have no zeal? Lukewarm at best. Consider what Paul’s statement of so many Jews, that they had “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom 10:2). If a man has zeal but not according to knowledge, will his sincerity save him? No. What about if a man has knowledge but no zeal? Will he be saved? Many teachers and preachers are extremely scholarly, but where they lack is fervency in spirit. They have faith but no love, no fervency. Apollos was fervent in spirit. We need to be as well.

He taught accurately what he knew. What a good example! Teach what you know. But continue to learn because there is accuracy, and then there is “more accurately”. Praise the Lord for this fellow who listened and served.

What Saved The Gibeonites?

As Israel would cross the Jordan, news was spreading quickly. Rahab had told the spies “We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan…” (Jos 2:10). They had been utterly destroyed, and soon Jericho would be too, save Rahab and her family. Then Ai would fall. It was just too much for the surrounding kings to bear. As chapter 9 opens we read that “it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan… heard about it that they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord” (vs. 1,2). But not everyone fought.

The Gibeonites would try a ruse. They too had heard everything that had been happening. They knew of the God of Israel. It is possible they even knew of what the Lord had commanded Israel in detail. God had commanded the nation to utterly destroy the people that were living within the promised land (Deut 7:1-3), but in chapter 20 we see something else. “When you go near a city to fight against it, then proclaim an offer of peace to it” (vs. 10). If the city accepted it, then war would be averted. If they refused it, Israel was to lay siege to it. But this only pertained to non-natives. “Thus you shall do to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations” (vs. 15). As the Gibeonites came to Joshua, guess who they said they were? They said they were from afar, asked for peace, and asked to be servants. It could be they were familiar with God’s commands and were taking advantage of them, albeit deceitfully.

The Gibeonites would be saved. Israel would make a hasty promise and would be honor bound to keep it. Consider the Gibeonites mindset and see what we can learn from them.

  • They were aware of what their adversaries were doing – They did not have their heads in the sand. Many times we just like to ignore our enemies. But what about when our enemy is actually on the side of good. Yes, one time we were enemies of the Lord (Rom 5:10). Many willfully ignore what the Lord has done for them. They think “peace and safety” and the Lord will come upon them suddenly (1 Thess 5:3). Better pay attention. The Gibeonites did and it saved them from the fate of the other kings.
  • They knew there was a time to fight and a time to surrender –Remember what Jesus taught. “What king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14: 31-33). The Gibeonites knew, from other’s mistakes, there was no way they could fight against God. Surrender is the only option. Have you learned that lesson?
  • They Were Shrewd – They wore tattered clothing and they brought moldy food as a pretense of a long and hard journey. Let us say this; a man will do anything to save his life. We are not trying to justify lying, but consider a Proverb that comes to mind. “People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold” (6: 30,31). Yes, stealing is wrong and to our point, lying is wrong, but let us just take this point to heart. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? What would you be willing to do to survive? Be innocent, but be shrewd as well. There is no excuse for sin, but no one has ever accused the Gibeonites of not using their head.

They were actually doubly shrewd. They speak of the Amorites beyond the Jordan who were destroyed, without making mention of Jericho or Ai, although those victories are what led to this recourse (Jos 9:3). Why? Because if they were on a long journey, then they should not have known about them. They come to Joshua, their savior they hoped, and asked for peace. These men of Gibeon, these mighty men of Gibeon (Jos 10:2), willingly humbled themselves and put themselves in Joshua’s hand, “Do with us as it seems good and right to do with us” (9:25). They came clean, so to speak, and were willing to serve. It is a strange account, an account of honor and commitment, and of humility and survival.