Am I an Owner or a Steward?

                            View from bridge in park in Canton, NY

                       Our Father created all that is.  He is the owner.

                        How magnificent is the work of His hands!

                              It's our job to be the "good stewards" 

                             and provide good care for everything
                                     under our stewardship.

                         

I grew up thinking that what I had was mine, that I could do as I pleased with my stuff – within reason.

I own my house – with the bank.
I own my car.
I own my body.
I worked for and earned my money.

They’re mine, right??
Can't I just do as I please as long as I pay my bills and live within the laws of our nation?

Deep inside my soul, a little voice says “No.”

These things are mine to use and enjoy but I do have obligations.

I need to take good care of all of them.
My property is mine to use and pass on.
I have an obligation to take proper care of my body.
It’s not ok to abuse anything - even myself.

God is good – all the time and He has been very good to me.

I have the right to enjoy my property and stuff.
I also have the obligation to use all these things for His honor and glory.
Even the talents and abilities that He gave me are mine to use – for His honor and glory.

It reminds me of the parable that Jesus told of the Bags of Gold in Matthew 25:14-30 (see below). Those stewards were each given treasure to invest wisely and bring dividends to the master at the end of the time. Those who invested wisely were rewarded. The one who did not invest wisely was punished.

It puts a different perspective on “my property” when I realize that I am only the steward and not the owner.

It makes me think that I am to share that I have, that the goal is not to accumulate more wealth in the way the world looks at wealth but at the way the Father looks at wealth.

Do I need that new whatever or do should I help…………….??

It’s important to meet our own needs but it’s also important to share with those whose needs are not being met.

Do I look for opportunities to be kind – even when the individual doesn’t “deserve” my kindness?
Do I “deserve” all that Jesus did for me?

If I use my talents and money and whatever He gave me to share the treasure of His love and grace and to spread His Word, then I will have invested wisely, and my Master will be pleased.

I may never be “rich” as the world views wealth but if I use my resources as Jesus taught, I am confident that I will be very wealthy in eternity.

Deep in my soul, I know I am only “a steward”, that my Father is truly “the owner” of all that exists, of all His creation.

I pray that my Father will teach me to be a good steward, so I can enjoy my rewards with Him for eternity.

How about you?

                            View from the other side of the bridge.

             I never cease to be amazed by the beauty that God has created.

                Our Maker makes all things beautiful - even a single leaf.

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 
Matthew 25:14-30

Knapps Station Community Church is just finishing a study on 

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller.

I heartily recommend this book.  It spoke to me about Psalm 23 in ways I had never considered before and greatly enhanced my appreciation for my own "Good Shepherd."

Knapps Station Church will also have their
Annual Bazaar
Nov. 4, 2017
9 am to 3 pm
There will be a food sale
and a donation white elephant sale.

            This beautiful, lone petunia is growing out of the pavement
                           on Main Street in Waddington, NY. 
                          It is thriving despite its environment.
             It embodies the idea of blooming where you are planted
                           and does so with grace and beauty.
                     It inspires me to face adversity as a challenge,
           to be the good steward and make the very best of any situation.
                  The one thing I truly own is my attitude 
                     Lord help me to make mine like Yours.

Blessing
May you be blessed by a life of Godly stewardship
 and an attitude that gives you a heart after God.
May our Loving Father bless you with His Love,     Grace, Peace, Wisdom and everlasting JOY.

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen unless otherwise noted-          

     used with permission.
All bible reference from the NIV
     unless otherwise noted.

If you are interested,
    you can click on the Blog Archive
    dates on the top right side of this post
    to connect to previous blog posts.

I would love to hear from you either 

    on the comment section of this blog post
    or through my email.
    debbieamcewen@gmail.com
I post every other Saturday.
The next post will be November 4, 2017.

             Canada Geese that I saw at the park in downtown Canton, NY.

            And lastly, don't let the sun set on you without seeking the Son
                         who will give you light and life everlasting. 

Where are You, God?

                                                          The sun is setting. 
                           Light is leaving the world for the night.
                                      Have You left us, Lord?
                                            NEVER!
                               Jesus said, "Never will I leave you,
                                  never will I forsake you!"

Hurricanes have ravaged.
Droughts, forest fires, earthquakes,
tsunamis have struck.
Shootings, shootings, shootings!!

People are being oppressed.
Others are starving to death.

Man is hurting man.
Where does it end?

Where are You in all this?

You say You love us.
You say You are with us?
Where do You fit into all this chaos and pain?

I hurt for all these people.
My heart breaks.
When I open my heart to You, I feel that Your heart is breaking for all of them.
I can’t imagine how badly it must hurt You.

But where are You?

Why don’t You fix everything so there isn’t so much pain?

You let me know that You have given us free will, the power and right to choose how we behave.

People making terrible choices have caused so much of the pain we see.

The earth was perfect when You created it and then, Adam and Eve chose their own way, refusing to follow You.

Life became hard for all of us.

I suspect that their choices and resulting banishment from the Garden of Eden affected not only them and the rest of mankind but nature and the weather as well.

Who knew that eating one little piece of fruit could cause so much trouble!

Satan knew.
He knows today that every choice we make has repercussions.

It’s like throwing a pebble in a pond.
The ripples go on forever.

One sin causes so many things to happen.

One prayer does too.
It’s power goes on forever.

One act of kindness - to feed the starving, the give aid to the victims of the disasters, of the shootings.

One act of kindness and a lot of praying might even prevent some of the shootings, some of the oppression, some of the pain.

We are God’s hands, feet and tongue.
He acts through us.

That is where You are Lord
You are with us, guiding us to live as You taught us.
If we follow You and Your Way, we can make incredible differences in our world.
If we pray, if we do what You put in our path.
If we listen for Your still small voice directing us.

If !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."
Matthew 25:31-40

      This bee is gathering pollen to make honey to feed the hive for the winter.  

      This is  her job.  It is what God made her to do and she does it well.

                                      Are you doing your job?

      Do you love God first and foremost and love your neighbor as yourself?               

               Nature reflects the beauty and wonder of the Creator.

                       Since we are made in His image and likeness,

             we also reflect Him when we follow His teachings and His love.

                  (a little brook on a side road near Saranac Lake, NY)

                 

Blessing:

May you be blessed my friend
by listening and watching carefully
to find the jobs that Our Father has in mind for you that no one else can fulfill quite the way you can.

May you have much JOY and peace 

in completing those jobs!

Be Blessed!!

                    Don't let the sun set without finding the true JOY 

              that comes from doing a little of the Lord's work each day.

                             If we each do our little bit each day,

                            truly amazing results will be achieved!

NOTICE!! NOTICE!! NOTICE!!

You can find and follow me now on Instagram by going to Instagram and entering:

#myheartjumpsforjoy.

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen unless otherwise noted-          

     used with permission.
All bible reference from the NIV
     unless otherwise noted.

If you are interested,
    you can click on the Blog Archive
    dates on the top right side of this post
    to connect to previous blog posts.

I would love to hear from you either 

    on the comment section of this blog post
    or through my email.
    debbieamcewen@gmail.com
I post every other Saturday.
The next post will be October 21, 2017.

            I recently got a new camera. Now I can take moon shots.
    I took these over a few nights when the moon was at different phases. 
           With a more powerful lens I was able to see more details
                              of the moon's surface.