What does stewardship really mean? A lot of the time, it seems to have something to do with money—but money’s just a tool. So what does stewardship really mean? It really means taking good care of something important, something people care about, with an eye to the future.
The same goes for those of us who care about our community of faithful women created in the image of God. We want to take care of it with an eye to future generations. What tools do we have for that? How do we use them?
In Acts 16:11-15, we hear about Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, who used the tools she had to take good care of her own faithful community.
Lydia used every tool she had to take good care of several somethings that were important to her and to others: Her faith in Christ and the church that grew out of that faith. She took good care of these things with energy, intelligence, courage, and generosity.
She’s an example of a good steward taking good care of something important, and she took care of it so well that we’re still talking about it today, 2,000 years later.
This message is an excerpt from a Women of the ELCA devotion by Audrey Novak Riley. You can find discussion questions at the end of the devotion. Today we remember Bartholomew, Apostle.
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