May 2025
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
-Psalm 24:1-2
Look around you, wherever you are, wherever you are reading this. Everything you see rightly belongs to God; all of it is God’s stuff. In God’s grace, we have been made managers of many things, and how we use the stuff around us is an indicator of our relationship with God. Do we use our resources and our talents in ways that honor God? How might we be ministry-minded about the things God has put in our care?
Perhaps you are in the midst of spring cleaning, and thinking about decluttering. There may be things that you don’t use that someone else you know may need. There may be opportunities to recycle or “up-cycle” some of the things God has placed in your care.
Or perhaps you are in the midst of acquiring things that you need. As you go shopping, be grateful, be generous, and be thinking about how you may use those things God has allowed you to acquire in ways that would please God.
God has given us stewardship of things, but we are also stewards of relationships, of our bodies, and of the time we are given. There are many areas of stewardship that we can consider; many ways that we can show God that we are grateful for his provisions and that we long to honor him with what he has placed under our care.
When I borrow something from a friend, or stay at a hotel, or visit a relative’s home, I want to return those things in good shape, or leave those rooms as I found them (or better, if possible).
In that mindset, let us see all those things in our lives as borrowed from our friend Jesus. Keeping our relationships and our own selves in good condition is also a way of respecting and honoring God. We don’t care for such things in order to earn God’s love, but rather as an expression of our love for God.
God, thank you for all your good gifts, for this good earth, and for You. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow! Grace and peace to you this month, dear friends.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Matthew