Stewardship
Stewardship (Written by Tim Klink of Prison Discipleship Ministry)
1 Corinthians 4:2
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
From the time we are children beginning our education, we are taught that we are to learn things so we can “get ahead” in life. However, as life happens, many times we find that we are no where near “getting ahead.” Every time we have something extra, someone is there with their demands which takes it away from us. When we have a little extra income, an unexpected bill arrives. When we have that precious time for ourselves, someone else needs us. Too often we have set our expectations upon things that have their root in our pride, and when those things do not come together, we feel as though we have failed.
God's Word shows us that we are given certain gifts, talents, and abilities to be used within the opportunities that He brings into our lives. What God has entrusted us with is to be used for His purposes, and for His glory. Jesus provided the means for our service through His sacrifice on the cross, so the only thing that holds us back from serving is our pride.
A steward is a servant who has been entrusted with the care and concerns of the One he serves. The steward does not own what he has been entrusted with, and he is not free to use it for his own gain. A steward is well provided for by the One whom he serves, so the only reason he would take what he has been given the care of for himself is pride.
God has entrusted every person alive with the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. We are to be faithful stewards of that charge by first, receiving it personally into our life. Second, we are to live our lives in such a way that what we have been charged with will gain spiritual fruit within us as well as others. Faithfulness in stewardship is not about our own abilities, but all about the opportunities God has given us to increase what we have been given.
Too often God gives us the abilities we need for the opportunities that He brings, but we take those abilities and use them for ourselves, totally ignoring the purpose we were given them for in the first place, for God’s glory.
It is never about the stewards ability; it is all about his faithfulness.