A One-Track Mind by Dr. Charles Wetherbee - Enjoying the Journey
“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).
Just for a silly hypothetical situation, suppose a train decided it didn’t want to run on the track anymore. It felt like it was too restricted. It wanted to go where it wanted to go. It wanted freedom. So …. it left the track. Train wreck! How many lives have ended in train wrecks because they left the will and Word of God?
- “And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts” (Psalm 119:45).
- “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:59).
- “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 16:25).
Most people are trying to “make a living” rather than “making a life.” We have all heard the phrase, “Get a life,” but Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and THE LIFE.” Stewardship is getting on track and staying there. It is having a one-track mind!
Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ...” (Philippians 1:21a, emphasis added). “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6). God is interested in all our ways; not just in our way to church. Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. said, “For the Christian, nothing is secular.”
Too many times we try to compartmentalize our lives. We often think, consciously or unconsciously, that once we have given God one-tenth of the pie, the rest is ours. Well, God made the pie and He wants us to share it all with Him. A good steward realizes that life comes from God and is sustained by God, and he wants God to bless every part of his life. Worship is not just for Sunday. “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
We are to worship God at work, on vacation, in our hobbies, daily chores, private time, and more. I have discovered through the years that life is not so much complicated, as it is crowded. Once we focus on what and who matters, it is amazing how better life can become. Remember, He is Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all.
I have been preaching and teaching on stewardship since 1978. It is found in the Bible from cover to cover. When God put Adam in the garden, He told him to “dress it and keep it.” That is stewardship; managing God’s blessings. Too often, the more God blesses us, the less we depend on Him or think we need Him. We take our eyes off the Blesser and become obsessed with the blessings.
Stewardship is not about PROMINENCE, but PREEMINENCE. Christ is not on a list…He is outside the list….the list fits around Him!
“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
Faithfulness pays rich dividends!
– Dr. Charles Wetherbee
We are thrilled to have Dr. Wetherbee as a guest contributor for Enjoying the Journey. Since retirement from decades of pastoring in 2022, he has been writing and speaking in Revivals, Bible Conferences, Stewardship Conferences, Mission Conferences, and Family Conferences. Dr. Wetherbee has been married to his wife Shelley for over 50 years and has two children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. We trust that these wisdom-rich articles will encourage and help you!
To find many more helpful resources, including several books, visit Dr. Wetherbee’s website.
