The church is designed by God to represent Him; to wear His name on our chest as use the energy and ability He gave us – we are therefore representatives of God. Because of this we must make sure our work in this world is done under the banner of blessing others in the name of Jesus our Lord.
The Anatomy of Stewarding Work –
- Proposition = Blessing
- Complement = Rest
- Antithesis = Toil
Observations & Conclusions: Stewarding work means…
- Your work is more than your work
- Your work will be an expression of your life
- All of your life-work must come under the banner of service to Jesus
- The secret ingredient to stewarding work is gratitude
- A thankful heart for your life-work is only possible through resting in Jesus
Application: How do I steward my life-work towards rest?
- Put God first
- Gratitude to God asks, “How can I be a blessing?”
- Rest in Jesus’ work
Proverbs 15:19
“The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.”
Proverbs 24:30-31
“I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.”
Proverbs 20:4
“Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.”
Matthew 21:28-31
“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered.”
Matthew 25:14-30
Ephesians 6:5-8
“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”
Hebrews 4:9-11
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
John 5:17
“In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”