Update #148 - Stewardship

"'You have done well, good and trustworthy servant,' replied his master; 'you have been trustworthy in the management of a little, I will put you in charge of much: share your master's joy.'" Matthew 25:21

Monterey, CA

Stewardship is one of those “Christian-ese” terms getting a lot of use but not a lot of explanation. It is touted in the Bible as a good thing, something to have, something to do, something to develop… but not much is said on the “how.”

The word is only used 4 times in the MKJV of the Bible – mostly in Luke. The Greek root is “oikonomia” – meaning “administration (of a household or estate).” Most of us, over the age of 18 are stewarding something - it may not be a household or estate - but it could be an education, a car, a birthright, a calling.

Stewardship has rewards (as portrayed in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25). Three guys, three differing amounts of money; two invest and double the initial deposit, the third, well, he isn’t so savvy and buries it in the ground. The king calls for an account and rewards the first two “stewards” and punishes the third. In fact, the one who showed the greatest increase while the king was away reaped the third guy’s buried talent on top of what he already garnered. All was credited to him even though he didn’t earn it!

This leads me to believe good stewardship leads to favor. Steward well what you have been given, make it multiply and grow (where you can), and more will be added to you -without your trying.

What if you aren’t experiencing favor in your life, what if it feels you have to fight, snarl, quarrel, pinch and poke for every little tidbit you acquire?

I did a bit of Bible research and found there are, I’ll call them: “Barriers to Favor.” Favor stops, comes to an end, discontinues, halts, is impeded, prevented, hindered, obstructed, barred and banned when:

• You unjustly oppress others in word or deed (Psalm 103:6, 146:7).

• You call guilty innocent and innocent guilty (Proverbs 18:5).

• You are prideful and don’t give credit where credit is due (Proverbs 3:34, I Peter 5:5).

• You willingly seek out evil and its counterparts (Proverbs 11:27, 18:5).

• You live unrighteously (i.e. not holy in heart, and non-observant of divine commands) (Proverbs 14:9).

• You cause shame to be put onto another (Proverbs 14:35).

• You shun a rebuke or constructive criticism (Proverbs 28:23).

Poor stewardship could also be added to the list.

What have you been asked to steward? What is in your life? Do you have a spouse? Children? A home? Pets? Relatives? A business? Clientele?

What have you been placed “in charge of?” Grocery shopping? Mail getting? Trash disposal? Dishwasher emptying? Meeting set-up? The company website? Marketing? Do you run a small group / cell group / home meeting?

Ask yourself “How am I stewarding what I have been given?” Are you stewarding the people, things, items, activities, areas in your life well? With excellence? Or with nonchalance? Are you attentive to needs and respect what you have or are you haphazard and neglectful – yet pining and yearning for more?

Where do you need to see God’s favor? Where do you need to see a “God bonus” in your life? God will give more to those who show they are trustworthy – are you that person?

Updates:

Work – We commissioned our trainees last Wednesday – it was awesome to hear all the stories of how God has changed, altered, and transformed their lives in the last 10 weeks. It looks like the May Nigeria trip isn’t happening, but a possible domestic trip is showing possible - this spring is turning out to be one of rest from international travel for me, a bitter-sweet situation, but the time at home is welcome!

Life – I am in Huntington Beach, CA spending Easter with my co-worker Kim. She lives a little over a block from the beach so I hope to spend a lot of time walking along the shores of Southern California while I am here!

Requests:

Work –A team of 18 is readying itself for Chennai, India. Please pray for our Indian host team who is busy prepping for the venture, recruiting clients, and finishing up their own training cycle as well.

Life – for more rest and continued rejuvenation, relaxation and FUN!