Stewards have God-given tasks to accomplish, John in his writing to the seven churches in Asia indicated.

Finding our task is to discern God’s will for our lives. To begin the task, we should take note of John’s writing. He was on Patmos because of the “word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” The beginning of our task is to saturate ourselves with the Bible, giving special attention to the testimony of Jesus.

John then wrote of the circumstance at the time he heard his message. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day…” I believe that we are most likely to find our personal stewardship challenge as John did, in worship on the Lord’s day.

As stewards, we must recognize that our message is from the everlasting God. “I am the Alpha and the Omega…” or in our language, “I am the ‘A’ and the ‘Z’…,” the beginning and the end. The gospel according to John started in a similar way: “In the beginning was the Word…” He continued: “the world was made through him….” Jesus is the Word of God, the Almighty. John wrote of Jesus as the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and that Jesus is the faithful witness to what we see and experience, to love one another as we are loved.

—Dr. Robert Craig

Questions to Think On

• In verse 9, what did John say he shared with those in the seven churches?
• On the Lord’s day, what can we do to put ourselves in the Spirit of worship?
• What does the sovereignty of God mean to us today in the world so full of crime and widespread hunger and need?
• What does the sovereignty of God mean to us as stewards?

How Do I Act?

1. Write a letter as if you were John. Note the greeting that John started with, the context in which he prepared to write, and then write the message which you believe your church needs to hear. Share it with some church friends or your pastor if you would like.
2. Write a prayer which will help you on the Lord’s day to prepare to receive the Word of God for your life. Read or say this prayer for a month along with other forms of meditation. Continue this ritual if it is meaningful to you.
3. The New Testament is full of examples of how churches helped one another. Discuss the testimony we can make working with other Cumberland Presbyterian churches, which we cannot do alone. Plan a project to do with churches in your presbytery.
4. Spring is a good time to look around our homes for items which we do not use and are needed by others. It is a good time to give!

Photo by Vicky Sim on Unsplash