"Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body."

— Apostle Paul (1 Cor.6:19-20)

When I say the word, "stewardship", what comes to mind? Do you think about the sermons that encourage you to give a portion of your income to the work of the church? If you are environmentally minded, do you think about the responsibility of being a good steward for our natural resources? Within the context of business, do you think about the importance of using an organization's capital resources well? The common theme with each of these situations is being aware, simply speaking, that "stewardship means that we have a personal responsibility to take care of something that is not our own" (Wikipedia).

Now, when I place the word "personal" in front of the term stewardship, what comes to mind? Does "personal stewardship" cause you to change your perspective regarding any of the above scenarios? I hope so. I want to challenge your stewardship paradigm.

While it is true that we should always be good stewards of the physical and natural resources God has given us, I have discovered that we must first be good stewards of the greatest resource of all — the temple in which God resides. I am not talking about a building or center that we go to on Saturday night or Sunday. I am talking about the most valuable resource that God has ever created to achieve His purpose — ourselves — heart, soul, and mind.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body (1 Cor. 6:19-20)". Again, stewardship means that we have a personal responsibility to take care of something that is not our own. God feels so strongly that we should view our bodies as His temple that He expanded this perspective to include all believers corporately. The Apostle Paul admonishes each of us, "Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17)."

These verses influence how I prioritize my stewardship responsibilities. Yes, I do have a great responsibility to use the resources at Focus on the Family in a wise fashion. However, more importantly, I have a responsibility to treat the temple in which the Holy Spirit resides in a way that is pleasing to Him. This needs to be priority number one!

So, are you being a good steward of the most valuable resource that God has entrusted to you? As a leader, are you modeling this personal stewardship?

Throughout Scripture, the term, "temple," is used frequently to describe a place in which God resides. It is a place He commands to be kept pure and holy. Jesus' one demonstration of anger occurred when God's physical temple in Jerusalem was used for something rather than worship.

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the moneychangers and the stalls of those selling doves. He said, "The Scriptures declare, 'My temple will be called a place of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves!" (Matt. 21:12-13).

God is quite serious about how His physical temple or our bodily temple is treated. Keeping it holy and pure is not an option! Do you grasp the message here? God places GREAT value on your physical temple through which we are to serve others and be His ambassadors.

I have to regularly ask myself, "What might cause God to be upset with the way His temple is being kept up and used? How do I treat it at work? Do I push my self beyond what is considered healthy with the potential consequences of burnout and stress? Am I causing others to stumble in this area?

So, what does that mean for you and me? What are a few things that we can do to keep our temple pure and holy?

Suggestions:

1. Have meditative moments (M&M;'s) — Intentionally schedule times during the day when you can pause and reflect on the holiness and purity of God.
2. Monitor your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual energy levels — Keep a journal that records times of high energy and energy drain. Look for patterns and be prepared to make necessary changes in order to maintain a healthy energy flow.
3. Make sure your life/work priorities are right — Assess how much time you spend with God, family, friends, hobbies, and work. Ask God to point out where your priorities need rearranging. Be willing to follow through.
4. Be prepared to say "no" when you feel that your work load is causing unhealthy stress or burnout — Discuss your work capacity with your manager or seek assistance from an expert if the issue is the result of inadequate time or project management skills.

Consider these leadership questions:

1. List two ways that you help keep your body holy and pure.
2. What are three ways that having the wrong stewardship priorities can harm God's temple?
3. As a leader, how may your actions or demands on others cause them to set wrong stewardship priorities?
4. Meditate on 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Ask God to show you the significance of this verse in your life.

"I (God) will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." — Psalm 32:8

Taken from Focus on Leadership, April 2007
— an internal info-letter for Focus on the Family leaders.
Article copyright 2007, Focus on the Family.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.

Dr. Peter Pintus, Ph.D., is the director of Leadership Formation and Coaching in the Organizational Learning department
at Focus on the Family.