"And the Lord said, 'Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.' " Luke 12: 42-44
I've heard this parable at least a hundred times in my life, and most of the time it is tied to the responsibility of some monetary item, such as tithing or doing good with physical blessings God has placed in my life. Being a faithful steward with the things God has given me. But so many of the things of God cannot be qualified with a monetary value. Isn't God asking me to be a faithful steward with those things as well?
In the parable, Jesus' example of delegated responsibility is portion of food. That seems like a simple task for the steward, but if you think about it, food might be the most important item in the master's house. It is what sustains the entire house. If the steward gives too little food, the servants will be weak and not finish their work. Too much food, and the storehouse could run out and everyone starve before the master's return. The food ration is also a great source of authority, which could be mismanaged and cause the steward to fail. If the steward begins to idolize the power, he will begin to mistreat the other servants and take advantage of his situation (verse 45). So it would seem the master has a greater expectation of the steward than simply a relegation of edibles.
Everything I have can be counted as belonging to my Master, God Almighty. Not just my house, my money, my car, my monetary things; but also my family, my friends, my job, my skills/talents, my marriage, my son and even my relationship with Him. I am to be a faithful steward of everything in my life, making sure that every decision I make regarding those things is in alignment with the delegation given to me by my Master, so that I am fulfilling His will when He returns.
Furthermore, I am to be a faithful steward of His Word. Before I give an interpretation of scripture, especially to an unbeliever, even if I feel like I received it from the Holy Spirit, it is my responsibility to make sure that it aligns with the rest of God's Holy Word. God does not contradict Himself, and even the enemy knows the Word of God (he tempted Jesus with scripture in the wilderness - Luke 4), but he uses God's Word to manipulate and twist the truth. To become a more faithful steward, I need to make time to study the Word in order to discern God's truth from the lies to build a solid foundation for myself and those around me.
Perhaps most importantly, I am to be a faithful steward of my title in Christ. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Exodus 20: 7) is a commandment often attributed to language and the things we say. Not that it doesn't offer some relevance to our vocabulary, but I would argue that it's more about ambassadorship. When I call myself a Christian, or claim to believe in God, I am immediately a representative of the Most Holy. If I am arrogant, selfish or in any other way not representing God as He is, then I am taking God's name in vain. Now don't get me wrong, I know it is impossible for me, a sinful human, to perfectly represent a perfect God, but I am predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8: 29). So I can use the tools He has provided me to grow in grace in order to be a more faithful steward of the title I have been given through Jesus and His sacrifice.
Father, thank You for everything I have in my life, including Your road map to life, Your Word. Help me to continue to become a more faithful steward of it all, making everything in my life come together for Your purposes. Help me to wear the name of Jesus proudly and represent Him as He is, not as I am. In Jesus' glorious name, Amen!
I've heard this parable at least a hundred times in my life, and most of the time it is tied to the responsibility of some monetary item, such as tithing or doing good with physical blessings God has placed in my life. Being a faithful steward with the things God has given me. But so many of the things of God cannot be qualified with a monetary value. Isn't God asking me to be a faithful steward with those things as well?
In the parable, Jesus' example of delegated responsibility is portion of food. That seems like a simple task for the steward, but if you think about it, food might be the most important item in the master's house. It is what sustains the entire house. If the steward gives too little food, the servants will be weak and not finish their work. Too much food, and the storehouse could run out and everyone starve before the master's return. The food ration is also a great source of authority, which could be mismanaged and cause the steward to fail. If the steward begins to idolize the power, he will begin to mistreat the other servants and take advantage of his situation (verse 45). So it would seem the master has a greater expectation of the steward than simply a relegation of edibles.
Everything I have can be counted as belonging to my Master, God Almighty. Not just my house, my money, my car, my monetary things; but also my family, my friends, my job, my skills/talents, my marriage, my son and even my relationship with Him. I am to be a faithful steward of everything in my life, making sure that every decision I make regarding those things is in alignment with the delegation given to me by my Master, so that I am fulfilling His will when He returns.
Furthermore, I am to be a faithful steward of His Word. Before I give an interpretation of scripture, especially to an unbeliever, even if I feel like I received it from the Holy Spirit, it is my responsibility to make sure that it aligns with the rest of God's Holy Word. God does not contradict Himself, and even the enemy knows the Word of God (he tempted Jesus with scripture in the wilderness - Luke 4), but he uses God's Word to manipulate and twist the truth. To become a more faithful steward, I need to make time to study the Word in order to discern God's truth from the lies to build a solid foundation for myself and those around me.
Perhaps most importantly, I am to be a faithful steward of my title in Christ. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Exodus 20: 7) is a commandment often attributed to language and the things we say. Not that it doesn't offer some relevance to our vocabulary, but I would argue that it's more about ambassadorship. When I call myself a Christian, or claim to believe in God, I am immediately a representative of the Most Holy. If I am arrogant, selfish or in any other way not representing God as He is, then I am taking God's name in vain. Now don't get me wrong, I know it is impossible for me, a sinful human, to perfectly represent a perfect God, but I am predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8: 29). So I can use the tools He has provided me to grow in grace in order to be a more faithful steward of the title I have been given through Jesus and His sacrifice.
Father, thank You for everything I have in my life, including Your road map to life, Your Word. Help me to continue to become a more faithful steward of it all, making everything in my life come together for Your purposes. Help me to wear the name of Jesus proudly and represent Him as He is, not as I am. In Jesus' glorious name, Amen!
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