Daily Sabbath School

Friday: Further Thought – The Habits of a Steward

22nd March 2018

Further Thought: Enoch and Noah made it a habit to walk with God in an age when few remained faithful amid excess, materialism, and violence (Gen. 5:24, Gen. 6:9). They understood and accepted God’s grace, and were thus good stewards of the possessions and tasks entrusted to them.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

Down through the ages, people have walked with God just as Enoch and Noah did. For instance, Daniel and his friends “realized that in order to stand as representatives of true religion amid the false religions of heathenism they must have clearness of intellect and must perfect a Christian character. And God Himself was their teacher. Constantly praying, conscientiously studying, keeping in touch with the Unseen, they walked with God as did Enoch.” – Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 486.

“Walking with God” defines what a steward does, that is, living with God day by day on earth. A wise steward will make it a habit to walk with God amid a world of corruption, for only by this connection with God can we be protected from falling into the prevailing evils.

Being a faithful steward entails an all-encompassing life that begins with being in agreement with God (Amos 3:3). We must walk in Christ (Col. 2:6), walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walk in love (Eph. 5:2), walk in wisdom (Col. 4:5), walk in truth (Ps. 86:11), walk in the light (1 John 1:7), walk in integrity (Prov. 19:1), walk in His law (Exod. 16:4), walk in good works (Eph. 2:10), and walk the straight path (Prov. 4:26).

Discussion Questions:

Define humility and explain its role in the life of a steward (Matt. 11:29, Eph. 4:2, Phil. 2:3, James 4:10). Why is humility important in our walk with God? (Mic. 6:8).
In class, talk about ways we can help those among us who are trapped in bad, even self-destructive habits. What can you as a local church do to help these people?
What are some other good habits that Christian stewards should have? See, for instance, Titus 2:7, Ps. 119:172, Matt. 5:8.
In class, talk about time and the mysteries of time. Why does it seem to go so fast? How do we even understand what time is? And, most important, why is it necessary that we be good stewards of the relatively short amount of it we have while here on earth?