Are you a good steward?

Here is a wonderful article written by Richard Joseph Krejcir (He is the Founder and Director of Into Thy Word Ministries, a missions and discipling ministry, with a call upon his heart to bring discipleship materials to pastors and everyone who needs them here and overseas. He is the author of numerous articles, curriculums and the book, Into Thy Word, and is also an ordained pastor, teacher, and speaker. He is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena California (Master of Divinity) and holds a Ph.D. (Practical Theology) from London.). It is great food for thought!  

 

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The word, stewardship, simply means to manage someone else's property.

For the Christian, as Scripture proclaims everything belongs to God, we manage the property of our Lord. Since everything belongs to Christ, we need to have the attitude and view that our things how little or great, what we have now or potential are His things. Our stuff that we have now or what we want to acquire are His stuff, that all we could have now, all we have lost, all we will have, is His, including our very bodies, opportunities and spiritual gifts. We are mere lessees of the property, money, relationships, talents, time, and even our lives.

That means all that we are and all that we have is not really ours to begin with. They belong to God. So, the duty of the Christian is to learn how to become responsible stewards of our Lord's resources entrusted into our care. To manage everything to the best of our abilities for His glory, 1 Cor. 4:2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

Here are some things to think about

· Stewardship is a priority! We need to take what we have and put it to the right use.

· Stewardship is also about exercising the gifts He gives, not letting them waste away or control us. We are to find them and put them to use with joy and not allow their results, such as money to rule over our will and plans. To do otherwise is a big waste and a travesty.

· Stewardship is being His faithful servant. It is the understanding of who we are in Christ and being grateful for that. In addition, it is being willing to put forth the effort to please Him, even though we do not have to.

· Stewardship sees tithing as an investment, with eternal values in mind, not a loss of temporary goods.

· Stewardship means trusting in our God, who provides for our spiritual and physical needs.

· Stewardship is also being wise to the ways of the world, so we do not fall prey to it.