Conundrum

Adequate
In the past few weeks I have written twice about stewardship; first here and then here.  There is another aspect of stewardship that may seem – no it is, really hard to grasp.

Already covered in the earlier posts is the fact that God has intentionally created each us for a unique purpose.  He has also given us gifts that align with that purpose, Romans 12:1 – 21; 1 Corinthians 12:4 – 31; Ephesians 4:11 – 16.  Further, He has sovereignly orchestrated our life experiences to equip us to fulfill that purpose.  For a clear example of this look at Joseph’s life and his response to his “negative” experiences in Genesis 50:20.

So we are intentionally created, gifted, and equipped for His purpose.

But that is not enough.

But Dependent
We read throughout the Scripture and specifically in John 15:5 that even though we have gifts and abilities, unless we are connected, abide, remain, in Christ, those gifts and abilities do not count for much.  If John 15:5 is accurate, they count for precisely zero.

So although we are intentionally gifted and equipped by God, we are completely dependent on Him to use that gifting and equipping.

How do enter into that dependence?  Check back here tomorrow for an attempt to begin to sort that out.