“But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 8:18
Connect
Connecting with One Another
We often think of idols as carvings of wood or some traditional statue; however, an idol is any person, place, thought or thing that usurps God’s rule in a person’s life. Name some common idols in our culture today. Have these idols infiltrated the body of Christ called the church? If so, in what ways?
Grow
Growth through Understanding
Throughout Scripture, we are instructed to “remember” God or the things He has done. A few examples include:
- 1 Chronicles 16:12 “Remember the wonderful deeds which He has done ….”
- Matthew 16:9 “Do you not understand or remember the five loaves ….?”
- Revelation 3:3 “So remember what you have received and heard ….”
- 2 Timothy 2:8 “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel ….”
And in this week’s key passage, we are asked to remember the Lord our God who has given us the power to create wealth. God confirms or keeps His covenant with us by giving us the power to create wealth as His stewards.
Similar to how communion acts as a remembrance of Christ’s salvific or saving covenant, kingdom stewardship (God’s provision of resources and our management of these resources) serves as a continual reminder of His dominion covenant. We are commanded to rule over and manage our spheres of influence as faithful kingdom stewards. But our rule and management of God’s resources come with restrictions as we saw with Adam and Eve regarding the tree in the middle of the garden. These commands and restrictions keep us in alignment with God’s sole ownership and ultimate rule above all as King.
A covenant can be defined as a divinely created bond through which God administers His Kingdom program designed to bring God’s greatest blessing to mankind who operate under its guidelines. When you operate under the governance of a covenant, you allow the benefits of the kingdom to work in your life so that God’s kingdom rule can be accomplished. When this happens, you are overruling and not being overruled by your circumstances and operating as a kingdom steward under the covenantal covering of Almighty God.
Growth through Discussion
As you dive into the heart of Dr. Evans’ teaching, use the following questions to generate discussion among your group.
- What is one of the reasons God placed the tree that Adam and Eve were not to touch directly in the middle of their garden? Why is it important to remember who the owner is?
- How important is it to “remember God” in our daily lives and not just when we attend church or a small group study? Explain.
- When you operate under the covenant, you get the benefits of the covenant. What
are some of these potential benefits regarding this area of stewardship? - Dr. Evans compared covenantal covering to an umbrella. It doesn’t stop the rain, but it does stop the rain from raining on you. What are some things a person could do to get out of alignment and lose the presence and protection of this covering? What are possible consequences?
Serve
Now is the time to apply the wisdom of what you have learned to your life, demonstrating the depth of your relationship with God through service to Him and others.
Serving God
You may not think of prayer or worship as a way of serving God, but in this week’s key verse, we are instructed to “remember” the Lord, our God. One way to remember God is to abide in prayer and worship. Set aside additional time each day this week to thank God and worship Him for all that He has given to you.
Serving Others
Identify a person in your circle of influence who could use a boost of encouragement. Then ask God to show you what you can either do or say to be a source of encouragement to that person this week.
