All Aboard! Stewardship

     All Aboard! All around are the waters of hostile contention, spiteful competition and pomp, and preying charlatans who look to take advantage. There are many back-stabbers, get-rich-quick schemes, and many people who wish to blur the lines between good and evil. In such a climate, how can we stay on the straight and narrow and do what is good and right? All aboard! Here begins a journey of learning about stewardship.

     Let us first define the term. God creates, gives life, and gives gifts (Genesis 1:1, James 1:17). As such, stewardship is the management of what God gives towards the greater end of His glory. This applies to life, gifts, the Earth (creation), knowledge, physical fitness, finances, possessions, and time. These are the components that will be focused on in this series, though stewardship can really be applied to anything, since what exists can only exist because God exists. 

“THE MAKER OF TIME WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ENOUGH TIME TO DO WHAT HE SAYS IS GOOD AND RIGHT; THE MAKER OF SPEECH, THE SAME . . . AND SO ON.”

     Now we see what stewardship is and know what areas of life it can be applied to. Yet, what is stewardship for? In essence, it is about becoming more like Jesus (Romans 8:29). He has properly stewarded over His own being and over all of creation from the beginning (Philippians 2:5-11, Revelation 13:8). 

     The first order of importance is to establish good stewardship over your understanding of this life; that is, understanding why you exist. This is part of good self-stewardship, as one needs to properly steward of oneself in order to be a better steward over what they have.

    The next order is purposing in your heart that you will seek what is good and right, in alignment with God’s Word, which can be solidified through conscience. In the Book of Daniel, in chapter 1, it is written that “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies” (Daniel 1:8). Daniel was not taken by a whim in regard to the situation. He knew what he purposed in his heart to do and he followed through with that. If a Christian purposes in his heart that he will spend his money wisely, he should have a plan for this. That way, when the paycheck comes, he knows what he will be using it for rather than letting the circumstances dictate for him. If a Christian purposes in their heart that they will not drink alcohol at an event, then they will not leave their reaction to how they will feel in a moment of peer-pressure. As Daniel shows, being wise involves dictating what you will do in a situation rather than letting a situation dictate what you will do. 

     We are stewards of the mysteries of God. May we be humbled and spurred on to service through understanding that. We do not have to have all of the answers, but it is our duty, and even our joy, to proclaim God’s mysteries. The Maker of time will provide you with enough time to do what He says is good and right; the Maker of speech, the same . . . and so on. Trusting this allows us to be confident and courageous stewards.

     Ultimately, stewardship helps us to use what we have for the Kingdom of God rather than storing things up for ourselves on this Earth. Stewardship is a practice that ought to spur people on towards good and righteous reflection. This further allows people to not be led astray by deception, but allows us to stay on the straight and narrow path, staying true to what is good and right. It starts with trust in God, it expands with setting in our hearts what we will do, as Daniel did, and it expands even further to every area of life. We are on the stewarship, and God The Father is our lighthouse, God The Son is the anchor of our souls, God The Holy Spirit is the wind that sustains our direction, and God’s Word is our compass.