The “W” In STWEARD
We're on to the fourth letter in our STEWARD series: W.
I am a wisdom-seeking, willing-to-be-weird, watchful servant.
Wisdom-Seeking
I'm not claiming "wise." I'm claiming wisdom-seeking, because I plan to be chasing this until the day I die. James 1:5 says if you lack wisdom, ask God, and He'll give it generously. No shame, no scolding. Just ask!!
Wisdom is something God wants us to purposefully seek!!
Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
Proverbs 8:11
For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
One caveat though…it will make you look ridiculous to people who are living by the world's playbook. Which leads us to the next W word/phrase…
Willing-to-Be-Weird
If you are fully at home in this world, agreeing with its values, laughing at its jokes, chasing its version of success, you are not stewarding well. In fact you might not be stewarding at all.
God didn't call you to blend in. Romans 12:2 doesn't say "adjust slightly." It says:
Do. Not. Conform. Be transformed.
Those are two completely different postures, and most of us have been settling for the first one because it's easier and nobody raises an eyebrow.
I don't want you comfortable, friend. I want you set apart so you hear “well done good and faithful servant" when you finally meet Him face to face.
That means integrity when nobody's watching. Excellence when average would get you a passing grade. Staying faithful to what God’s called you to when the world is telling you to follow your heart. Forgiving people who never even said sorry. Every one of those choices will look strange to a watching world.
Even lukewarm Christians will tell you to quit being over the top. (Honestly, that means you’re probably on the right track!!)
1 Peter 2:9 doesn't call you ordinary. It calls you a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession. Special possession, friend. That needs to be your CORE identity.
You are a treasured, special possession of the Most High God!!
So be weird. Be the one who prays before the meal in the crowded restaurant. Be the one who tells the truth when a lie would be so much easier. Be the one who forgives faster than makes sense. The world already has enough people who blend in. It does not have enough people willing to stand out for their King.
Watchful
If we truly knew how much Satan is planning our demise and the demise of our families and everything precious we hold dear, we would probably never sleep. I’m not kidding.
1 Peter 5:8 doesn't mince words: your enemy prowls like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. He isn't hunting the woman who's actively rebelling. He doesn’t need to worry about her. He's hunting the one who stopped paying attention. The one who let up on her spiritual boundaries, one small compromise at a time, until she couldn't even remember where the line used to be.
So ask yourself, honestly, this week: Am I making choices based on what God says, or what keeps me comfortable and liked?
Stay alert, friend. Stay sharp. Keep your eyes peeled to see his schemes against you and your family.
So here's my question for you this week:
Where have you gotten quiet when you should be standing out? Where has "fitting in" felt safer than being faithful?
Pick one place. One place where you've been blending in. And this week, be weird there. On purpose.
In passionate purpose,
Dorothy
Father,
Give me wisdom I don't have, and the courage to look foolish for it. Point out anywhere I've been conforming instead of standing out for You. Keep me watchful and awake. Give me wisdom to see the enemy’s schemes so they don’t take me out. Help me to never be deceived by the false ideologies of this world. In Jesus' name, Amen.