Ephesians 4:25-5:2
We are reminded, encouraged, and instructed to live in truth, in reconciliation, and in loving care for those in need. Verse 28 says that the reason we should work is so that we can have something to share with the needy! If that’s our “honest truth,” if that’s what we’re called to as Christians, we need to understand that the world around us seems often to oppose it. The world around seems to encourage us to spend all we have (and more than we have!) on ourselves, leaving nothing for the needy. But here’s the thing: Those who are constantly encouraging us to spend on ourselves aren’t thinking about us at all – They’re concerned about themselves. The money we spend that we don’t have to get the things we’re told we need ends up in the pockets of those who won’t share. I don’t think this passage calls for the end of all commerce, but it sure seems to call for the beginning of all good stewardship! Think of the money you earn by the work of your hands – whether you are currently working or receiving the fruits of work in the past – as existing so that you can have the honor, the privilege, of living as members of the body of Christ and having something to share with the needy!