Whole Life Stewardship

When we become followers of Jesus, one of the first things we learn is that the Lord God Almighty is the true owner of everything.

He made both the visible and invisible worlds (Genesis 1). He is the owner of everything, and He created it everything for His own glory. God entrusts us with this wealth so that we may spend it wisely and share it with those in need.

Before we were saved, we acted as though we were the rightful proprietors of our possessions. As a result of Satan's blinding, we were unable to see or think in terms of eternity. Our ultimate goal in life was to amass vast amounts of cash. After deciding to follow Jesus, we learned that it is impossible to please both God and the world (Matthew 6:19-24). Our avaricious minds had to be redirected from temporal goods to those that will last forever. Paul implores God to open our minds so that we might comprehend things that others miss (Ephesians 1:15-23).

A Steward Is...

One who manages the riches or property of another is called a steward. He oversees it in accordance with the master's wishes. The steward is a tenant, not a landlord. He must take good care of it and report back to the master on his progress. Abraham's servant Eliezer (Genesis 15:1-3; Genesis 24:1-67) is one of the biblical instances of a steward.

Since we have already died to ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ, we know that our lives do not ultimately belong to ourselves. Being a follower of Jesus Christ entails relinquishing control over one's life and possessions to him.

The Christians of the first century saw this well. According to Acts 2:44–45, "those who believed had everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need." It is crucial for followers of Jesus to share their talents, resources, and expertise with others in need when the Holy Spirit prompts them to do so. We do this as an expression of our gratitude to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, and because we believe these things are gifts from God.  Each person should put his or her special abilities to use for the benefit of others, faithfully dispensing the varied graces of God (1 Peter 4:10).

When it comes to serving their master, a genuine steward is someone who is fearless, loyal, and willing to put in long hours.

We must be responsible stewards of the resources God has given us.

Our role in God's world is that of stewards. He built the world and everything in it, including Adam and Eve, and entrusted them with its care. We, the descendants of Adam, are responsible for the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants. Those who have been entrusted with anything now have a responsibility to be trustworthy, as the Bible puts it in 1 Corinthians 4:2. 

Listing Our Complete Collection of Possessions

The responsibility of a steward is to account to God for the resources entrusted to them. We are not free to do anything we choose with the resources God provides; rather, we must take responsibility for the lives we lead during the time God allows us to exist on Earth. Revelation 20:11-12 tells us that on the day of judgement, we shall render an account to God for the gifts, family, wealth, property, and opportunities He bestowed upon us.

We need to consider whether or not God will be happy with our stewardship and the use we have made of His resources. Is it to God's liking that His stewards frequently put their own desires ahead of His? God should be recognised as the rightful owner of all material assets. Then it will be simple to administer His wealth in a way that pleases Him, in keeping with His principles (1 Peter 4:10).

An Unjust Steward as an Example

The steward's role is described by Jesus in a parable found in Luke 16:1-13. His approach to investing runs counter to the norm in modern culture.  Most individuals get rich by exploiting the wealth of others. God instructs us to make a difference with our wealth (Luke 16:9). Furthermore, Jesus explains that wealth is a test of character to determine whether or not we deserve actual riches (Luke 16:10-11).  Life transformation (real wealth) is God's highest and best wish for us. If such is the case, then we must ask, "Can God trust us with the lives He is going to change?" The answer to that question will depend on how we spend our money. Jesus eventually commends the unjust steward in the story for using his position as steward to create friends. Jesus instructs His followers to cultivate friends and give to the poor with their material possessions. This should serve as a wake-up call to us all: God intended for us to use His gifts to earn rewards in the hereafter. Studying this verse thoroughly will also show us that our devotion to God or money, whatever it is, is demonstrated by how we use our wealth.

Talents as a Parable

Jesus narrates the story of the talents in the parable recorded in Matthew 25:14-30. The analogy between the Kingdom of Heaven and a man's journey to a foreign land is where he begins. A talent was a big amount of money back then, so he summoned three of his servants and handed them five, two, and one, correspondingly. In order to earn money for their lord, the servants were tasked with using their individual skills to start enterprises.

Jesus makes a distinction between a faithful servant and a lazy one in this story. Jesus tells the servant who successfully invested the talents, "Well done, you are a good servant, you are a faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, and I will make you rule over everything and finally enter into the joy of your Lord." (Matthew 25:21).

Jesus reprimands the other servant in verse 26 for wasting his talent. You will lose your skill because you are a nasty and unproductive servant. You are gonna be exiled to the furthest reaches of night. The genuine stewards are those who benefit by trading the master's money.

Life in All Its Plenitude

Christ desires for us to have lives that are rich and fulfilling. Only if our master says "well done, good and faithful servant" at the end of our lives will we be able to experience this kind of happiness and fulfilment. Throughout history, believers have made it a priority to follow God's commands to the letter. while a result, they were able to experience peace and contentment while they followed Christ.

If you want to know what it means to live a life to the fullest, look no farther than Jesus. Despite internal conflict, Jesus finally accepted His mission on earth as a fulfilment of His love for the Father. Jesus reported His entire life and obedience to the Father who sent Him to earth in his dying hours (John 17). Living for God's glory, as Jesus did, is the only way to truly maximise our human potential.

Sadly, we are surrounded by lies every day. In Matthew 4, we see Jesus tempted by Satan to put his trust in money, fame, and material possessions rather than in God. As His followers, we are tempted in the same way so that we will focus on worldly matters rather than on obeying His desire for our life. As Christians, we may learn from Jesus's victory over temptation. 

If you want to know how to obtain happiness in life, go no farther than Jesus' illustration in John 15. We can achieve nothing worthwhile that will last without Him. Just as the branch can't produce fruit apart from the vine's nourishing sap, so the life of Christ within us is what makes our lives worthwhile and productive.

Paul urges us in Galatians 5:16-26 to walk in line with the Spirit. If our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had to constantly listen to and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, how much more so do we?

Only via a mental transformation described in Romans 12:1-2 is this even feasible. When we have the mentality of Christ, we are transformed, not made to look like the world or to want the things it wants. With this, we'll be able to carry out God's will, which we know to be good, acceptable, and perfect. Our bodies will no longer be holy and acceptable to God if our brains are not restored and brought into harmony with the thought of Christ.