December 10, 2016 A STEWARDSHIP ENTRUSTED
1 Corinthians 9:16-17: “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will; I have a stewardship entrusted to me.”
There is a lot that could be discussed in this section of 1 Corinthians, but the subject today is about stewardship. Webster defines stewardship as: “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” It is not just ministers or those in ‘full time ministry’ that are called to be stewards, but the call goes out to every believer to be a steward of what God has entrusted to each one. No matter what your vocation may be, no matter your age, no matter your financial status, or no matter your place in life, you have certain opportunities that call for your stewardship. We do not decide what it is that we steward, but rather see that we are to be stewards over what God has given-or what He has ‘put on our plate’ in life. In fact, we can rightly view the entirety of our life as something that we are to be good stewards over. It is wise and proper to see our relationships, our job, our neighbors, our church, our citizenship, our hobbies, our thoughts, our hearts, our health, and our possessions as areas that can be positively affected by our stewardship. It is to our benefit to see what we have is from God rather than seeing ourselves as owners; a steward represents the owner. It is a great stress reliever to understand and to know that we are receivers of God’s grace and what He gives, and to know that we can rest in His provision. If we are being good stewards, then whatever happens is really God’s decision, and we do not have to fret over it-just continue being a steward. It is an undeniable fact that the blessings of God flow through faithful stewardship. Let us today put on the mantle of stewardship; let us be good managers of what God has given ever how great or small it may appear to be. As sons and daughters of God, we have been given the power and the ability to represent Him and to demonstrate the very nature of our God. Do not let the familiarity and routine of the day to day task rob us of the opportunity and the call to be good stewards. God has indeed entrusted a stewardship to each of us, and one day He will evaluate our stewardship, and it’s is up to us whether or not we hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
1 Corinthians 4:2: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
Luke 16:10: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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