A Faithful Steward
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:45-51
A faithful steward is one who fully believes and trusts in their master. Belief and trust drive their actions, which match their master’s desires. Because of the stewardship, the servant is given more and more responsibility. With trust comes great responsibility. The risk is always for the steward to become disobedient, indifferent when the master is away. As the disobedience increases, the once faithful steward loses concern for his master. The silence of the master leads to the complacency of the once faithful steward.
Jesus is painting the disciples a picture of the times to come. He will indeed be going away, crucified on the cross. But, he will indeed be coming back. There will be a period of waiting for his return. Jesus says that no one knows when He is coming back, only God, but he will be back for his faithful stewards.
One of the things that opened my eyes and mind to the truths of the Bible was reading about the stewardship of the disciples. They were faithful stewards after Jesus left earth. Their lives were a picture of radical belief, unrelenting passion for God and others, and great love of people. They worked hard, invited and expected persecution, and had a myopic focus on the words of God. You read about their lives, and there is no doubt what they believed, who they followed, what side of the fence they fell. Their lives matched the words of the Bible. They lived by the words of Jesus and the scriptures. The correlation between their lives and the words of Scripture stopped me in my tracks as I dug into the Bible.
The original disciples and those that came after the disciples in the Bible were faithful stewards.
It is challenging to be a faithful steward of God. The world calls. Culture creates a wide, comfortable grey space to rest. In the grey space, words and beliefs are twisted in a way that seem right and good to man, creating movements with momentum. It is challenging to stand on the words of Scripture, easy to be deceived and rest in the grey space.
To understand the deception, one must know the Bible deeply. There is no other way. And, when you read the truths of the Bible, the deception is illuminated. Then, one has a choice, a difficult one. Often, to stand up for truth in the Bible is to stand against society, what feels right to mankind.
A faithful steward locks in on the words of God.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:27-28
Failure to be a faithful steward is imminent, but not permanent.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24
Above all else, God is love. He knows we’ll fail, but his mercies are fresh each morning. Let not our certain failures quench the desire to be a faithful steward.
Impact others. Live generously.
Follow my blog.