Obliterating Dichotomies

It’s very common to hear Christians talk about things being “practical” or “spiritual.” Taking care of practical details such as paying for something, is often not thought to be related to the things of the Spirit. I think we must obliterate these false dichotomies and gain understanding that every aspect of “practical” life plays a significant role in the Spirit. To God, there is no “this” or “that.” Nothing is neutral. He doesn’t look down and overlook certain aspects of our life because they are “too practical” or don’t pertain to life in Him. All things were created in Jesus, and for Him. He is in all things, and He holds everything together (Colossians 1:16-17). Therefore, every aspect of our lives matters to the King of Kings.

Understanding Stewardship

A fantastic place to begin this conversation is by taking a look at Scripture to gain understanding of our role on the earth. We were not placed here to enjoy 70 years of leisure. We were created–given life–with the purpose of knowing God through Jesus Christ, and reflecting His glory. We have been commissioned as reflectors of glory, to steward His possessions well so that many may see and know Jesus. All of our life, down to the minutia, is to point to Jesus (even where we just spent that $0.50 matters to Him!).

The glorious truth of this is that in the process of knowing and reflecting Jesus, the deepest desires and longings of our hearts are satisfied in Him. We experience delight, freedom, and joy when we walk the narrow road of love and obedience to Jesus. He invites us to partner with Him in every area of life.  This partnership is unto magnifying Jesus. But in our partnership, He delights to pour out generously into our spirits so that we experience the deepest, most satisfying delight available to us on the earth. What a glorious existence!

What is very difficult for us humans to grasp is that nothing ultimately belongs to us. We often have an entitlement mentality without realizing it. We think we deserve certain things, and we expect them. I have certainly been guilty of this many times since knowing the Lord.  I get sick, I run out of a certain food, the power goes out, etc., and my attitude quickly sours. When we have this underlying heart posture of entitlement, we tend to handle or steward the things entrusted to us poorly. We also tend to lack in joy and true life in Jesus.

The Lord generously bestows gifts of clothing, homes, food, money, children, health, time, and everything else from His riches to us to steward. Here is how Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines a steward:

1. A man employed in great families to manage the domestic concerns, superintend the other servants, collect the rents or income, keep the accounts, &c. See Gen 15:2 and 43:19.

2. An officer of state; as lord high steward; steward of the household, &c.

3. In colleges, an officer who provides food for the students and superintends the concerns of the kitchen.

4. In a ship of war, an officer who is appointed by the purser to distribute provisions to the officers and crew. In other ships, a man who superintends the provisions and liquors, and supplies the table.

5. In Scripture and theology, a minister of Christ, whose duty is to dispense the provisions of the gospel, to preach its doctrines and administer its ordinances.

It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 1 Cor 4.

Oh, how the Lord desires to find a people who are trustworthy. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). He owns the storehouses of money on this earth. He is looking, wanting to entrust it with His people for His glory. But, unfortunately, many unbelievers steward possessions far better than followers of Jesus do.

Oh, that we would be a people who wake up and evaluate our hearts, asking the Lord of light to come shine in our hearts and to reveal any dark places that don’t align with His ways. Then-oh then-what glorious opportunities for stewardship unto the glory of Jesus being manifest in every realm of life will be offered to us.

We will begin to experience new life and freedom in Jesus when we seek to align every single area of our heart and life to Him.

Every Area of Life

Over the next many weeks, I hope to tackle several areas of life that are important to the Lord and often overlooked in the life of believers. My desire is to inspire honest evaluation of hearts and to encourage a more intimate pursuit of Jesus. There may be counter-church-cultural ways of thinking introduced, but I hope that you will walk away from each blog post inspired to run to Jesus, having beheld His beauty as you read.

A few areas that I hope to open conversation about include finances, health, time management, media consumption, and education. I’m a young woman seeking to share with you the testimony of what the Lord has done in me, and I am excited for older women to share their wisdom with you, too.

Let’s lock arms and move forward in the Lord, inviting Him into all areas of our hearts, even if doing so may be uncomfortable. Let’s obliterate the false dichotomies we’ve erected in our hearts, so that He rules and reigns wholly. He is worthy of our entire heart!