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1 Peter 4:10
10 As [kathos] every man [hekastos] hath received [lambano] the gift [charisma], even so minister [diakoneo] the same [autos] one to another [eis] [heautou], as [hos] good [kalos] stewards [oikonomos] of the manifold [poikilos] grace [charis] of God [theos]. KJV-Interlinear
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. NASB
As visitors to this planet, our true home being in heaven, God has give to each one of us, gifts, resources, things that belong to Him, but have been placed in our custody and care while He (Christ) is away.
We are left to the management of Gods possessions. And the principle possession of God is Bible doctrine, which has been left in our care for the nourishing of our own souls and therefore our lives, both now and forever.
Beyond doctrine, which becomes the foundation for our life and orientation to everything else in life, we are expected to be good stewards as we live and interact with people.
Whether they are obnoxious or pleasant makes no different, our attitude is to be consistent with all of whom we interact.
When people ignore their spiritual lives, when people reject God, when people openly abuse that which has been given to them, when they simply don’t care, then trouble is not far behind.
We are currently witnessing hard economic times, and for most folks, the belief is that these things can be solved with government controls or policies, or some type of human solution. However, we know that Jesus Christ controls history, and all of life revolves around mans attitude toward Christ. Positive attitudes reap reward, negative attitudes reap trouble.
And society seems to have gone indifferent to the very basics of morals. Left unchecked, then this uncaring attitude will turn society into selfish animals. In every situation in history, negative volition toward God, doctrine and ones spiritual side of life, has earned society extremely hard times. Often it takes hard times before people realize that life is not theirs for free without responsibility or stewardship. There are always repercussions.
Everyone born into this world, received the gift of life from God. Everyone receives a gift or a talent of some sort. And with these two things they can find their way through life, to God, doctrine and their spiritual life.
Everyone who has believed in Christ, has received the gift of eternal life. A double life gift, if you will. Everyone likewise, receives a spiritual gift, which may be an enhancement of their physical gift, or something else entirely.
Again, these gifts are there to aid you in your spiritual life, which includes responsibility and accountability for your decisions in life. You will be held accountable. Unfortunately people take these things and head off into the jungle of their own design, and then wonder what happened, when life falls apart.
Jer. 29:11
‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ NASB
God has a plan for your life, it is a phenomenal plan which will get you through this life, and position you for the best possible and phenomenal life for all of eternity.
Unfortunately, most folks do not give this concept much credibility. They would rather stampede over and kill other people in order to get a good deal on a television, caring nothing about the ones they hurt, and still maintain that their values are better than those spelled out in the Bible.
And by the way, this verse in Jeremiah is one that you should place on your refrigerator, or note-board, and certainly within your own memory.
