The Responsibility Gauge
Faithfully handle God’s grace. Receive and take hold of everything God wants to give you.
We are faithful stewards of the many forms of God’s grace.
In Jesus, receive your God-given resources and responsibilities.
American Football
The quarterback throws a perfect pass in your direction. Just a little bit high and long. What do you do? You run a little faster, leap a little higher, stretch out, and secure the football.
Basketball
You're on the court. Your opponent takes a long shot and it bounces off the rim. What do you do? You run to the basket, jump high, grab the ball, and firmly take possession.
Take hold, and be faithful stewards of God’s grace in its many forms.
Rugby
It's Black Friday. A big-box store is selling the popular new gaming system for half price. Shoppers storm the floor, pushing and shoving. They grab the game boxes securely, using all of their strength to hang on tight.
We're good at 'taking hold' of physical things. But what about spiritual things? So many of us experience fear, shame, or defeat because we’re not postured to receive and to take hold of what we’re given by God's grace 1. We should become faithful stewards of:
God’s presence with us
Our life—our next breath
God’s image in us
A firm foundation—a place of stability
The Bible, with Jesus as its central figure
Our relationships
Our selves and all of Creation
Love, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Freedom, Power
Time, money, and other resources
Our true identity
Our adoption into his family/our citizenship in his kingdom
Spiritual gifts
The authority and responsibility to minister
Many others
'Taking hold' is more than collecting facts and applying principles. For the Christian, knowing something (or someone) must not be separated from responsibility. To truly know is also to care and to act.2 We must be faithful stewards of the many forms of God's grace. Think real-life experience. Think relationship.
With a posture of humility, now we receive and take hold. We receive through spiritual disciplines like prayer, reading, Bible study, journaling, fasting, stillness, listening, and conversation. We take hold by exercising authority over our thoughts—training our minds to submit to what is true (2 Cor. 10:4-6). And we take hold by taking steps—putting what we know into practice (James 2:14-26).
“Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus also took hold of me.”
“For who makes you so special? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? ”
1 Here, grace is used to mean the unmerited God-given desire, ability, and resources to participate in God's economy (purpose, plan, activity) as His beloved. 2 Steven Garber, Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good, ©2014 IVP Books, pp. 91, 100
Questions for myself
Is Jesus my first love? Do I make time for him in prayer, study, and other spiritual disciplines in order to receive everything he offers me?
Am I primarily focused on the gospel, Jesus’ commands, and the basics of Christian faith?
Do I see that my perspective is foggy and limited—that however much I know, it’s just a small fraction of all there is to discover? Can I say “Yes, Lord”, even before I know what he asks of me?
Am I able to let go of my own desires in order to take hold of my cross? (Matt. 16:24)
Questions for study and devotions
What has God promised?
What has God given me that I haven’t earned?
What would my life look like if I really trusted God fully for his love, security, and provision?
Next steps
Is there someone in your life who can remind you of these things? If not, could there be?
Could you start taking hold of God's written Word? Read it regularly? Reading the Bible and praying are like spending time at home, being reminded of who you are, whose you are, and what's most important.