Did you know that it was in God’s Design for humanity to be stewards? You may ask, “Stewards of what?” Before we can answer that question let’s consider who is a steward. After taking a look at the Scriptural and dictionary definitions, we discover that stewards are selected persons by an owner or highest ruler given personal responsibility or charge over another’s properties, finances, or other delegations directly answering to that owner or ruling authority. God being omnipotent (limitless power, invincible), omniscient (limitless knowledge and wisdom) and omnipresent (limitless presence, everywhere), creator of the heavens and earth plus all living creatures suffices to validate that He is indeed the Owner and Highest Ruler.
It’s important to realize we’ll all have to give an account to God regarding our care of His possessions, whether we believe in Him or not. We can see this revealed through Matthew 25 in the three stories told by Jesus. These parables are poignant examples of wise versus unwise stewardship, the reward for righteousness and the consequence for unrighteousness. There’s a great deal of wisdom in this chapter but we’ll touch on basic points.
The first one is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In this one we see the importance of knowing God, being prepared and ready when He calls to us at His Second Coming. Truly, such great joy awaits those who are faithful to Him. But if we’re not ready we’ll miss Him altogether and not be allowed to enter in with Him due to unfaithfulness. We need to watch out for unfaithfulness to Him, to what we’ve been given and making sure we aren’t using others. Individual responsibility is critical to maintain wise stewardship as well as the pursuit of developing fellowship with God, the Owner and Highest Ruler. The only way to meet the Father is through Jesus, He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one cometh to the Father, but by Me.”
Second is the Parable of the Talents, this one emphasizes the importance of wise handling of our gifts, skills and finances. We can ask God for wisdom to know what to do, how to do it and for wise counsel. If we’re wise with our talents He’ll bring abundant increase and if not we will lose all we have been given. God doesn’t want us in debt but to be able to help others. He desires to bless the skills and works of our hand. He says in Romans 13:8 to, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law.”
And finally, we have the Parable of the Sheep and Goats. God loves people and shows us the value He places on all life. We must also remember God hates evil and wickedness but loves all that is good, as He defines good. We can do many things but without love, Christ’s Love, we have nothing. In this parable Jesus teaches us about the eternal rewards for those who care for their fellow man whether they are hungry, thirsty, needing clothing, sick, in prison or a stranger. Those who love righteously, following Jesus, will be blessed with an eternal life and those who don’t will go to eternal punishment. Jesus reveals the importance of His Ten Commandments and summarized the heart of them in Mark 12:29-31, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the Commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first Commandment. (Thus obedience to the first four of the Ten Commandments) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Thus obedience to the remaining six of the Ten Commandments) There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Again, the Ten Commandments summarized) By this, Jesus affirms all Ten Commandments in their entirety. It is through Jesus Christ and His Love and Grace that we are able to love and obey as God tells us and thereby fulfill the Law. This is important for discerning the “sheep” from the “goats” and being His “sheep” and not a “goat”.
Below is a summarized list of what we are called to be responsible stewards of according to God’s Word:
Our relationship with God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), including remembering to keep His 7th day Sabbath holy
Our relationship with one another and our self
Our relationship with all living things
Our relationship with the earth
Our relationship with finances and material possessions
Our relationship with our gifts and skills
Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. Deuteronomy 15:10
*Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. *Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD Thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My Commandments. *Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain. *Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. *Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. *Thou shalt not kill. *Thou shalt not commit adultery. *Thou shalt not steal. *Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. *Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Exodus 20:3-17
But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the Hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose Hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10
The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psalm 24:1
LORD, how manifold are Thy Works! in Wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches. Psalm 104:24
Our help is in the Name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 124:8
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 150:6
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10
The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the LORD of hosts. Haggai 2:8
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25
And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 1 Corinthians 12:7
Until next time...
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