Habits of Effective Disciples: Stewardship
Disciples are faithful stewards of all God has entrusted to us.
Am I a faithful steward?
Everything has been given to us by God as a stewardship. Someday it will be returned to Him, and we will be held accountable for what we did with it.
In the book of Deuteronomy, which means "Second Law" Moses prepared the tribes of Israel with powerful sermons. Moses understood that the Promised Land was a prepared place for a prepared people. God wanted to make His people ready to receive His good gifts. Israel spent 40 years completing a journey which almost all experts agree could have been completed in 11 days (Deut 1:2). Just before they entered the land, Moses delivered these sermons so they would be ready for what lay ahead.
First, Moses conveyed the 10 commands, and then he taught them what has from that moment been called the "Shema", found in Deut 6:4-6:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord…”, God would deliver all the lands into the hands of His people even though they were not as strong as those who lived in the land. Moses reminded them not to forget the Lord. In Deut 8:1-9 Moses taught them again that it was the Lord who brought them there to keep His promise to His chosen people.
THE TEST OF PROSPERITY
Deut 8:10-18
How do we resist the tendency to forget God when all is going well? One of the very first lessons is to continually give Him thanks and praise for His kindness.
Moses reminded the people that God had brought them out of slavery and had sustained them in the wilderness. Even the manna was a reminder that the chosen people could not provide for themselves. Water sprang from rocks. All these gifts were means by which the humility of the people was tested.
Moses warned the people not to think these things came from their own hands.
How do we handle the prosperity of our day?
Offering thanks to God is a good beginning and then next is the important part of sharing with others because this sharing enables us to use God's gifts to us with those in need.
The lessons of Moses are to assure that we do not forget the God who gave us life which is abundant and eternal. Our lives do not finally consist of our possessions. God alone grants these gifts and abilities and health to work and earn our living. He gives us these abilities as part of His Covenant of kindness to us who love Him.
In His kingdom here we are not owners but are stewards who take what he has given us and multiply it for His glory.
RISKY FAITHFULNESS
Matt 25:1-30
In these verses Jesus speaks about the kingdom of heaven in three parables, not just the place called heaven but the rule of heaven come down to earth. In the first parable he told his disciples to keep watch because they did not know when the Lord would return to earth.
In the second one he teaches that the Lord will return and settle accounts with His servant disciples. Before he left the master granted three servants certain possessions. Two did well by multiplying the master's value. Here we see that Jesus views the abilities we are given as the means by which we are to further His kingdom. The greatest treasure he has granted us is the Gospel. God has entrusted it to us. What will we do with it? Will we invest it for the kingdom and by the witness of our life and testimony will we make it grow as we multiply it to others who need it?
The Lord has entrusted to us abundant gifts of our time, our talents, and our treasures. These are not given as gifts to be hidden away, but rather to be risked daily in the service of the Lord. With our talents we are to both use and expand the value entrusted as with these abilities comes much responsibility.
When the owner returned he settled accounts with the servants. These are US! In the parable, two servants (we who are serving disciples) were rewarded with commendation and a greater opportunity to serve. One is condemned for the lost opportunity to multiply what had been entrusted. The first two were said to be faithful and good (25:21 & 23).
As we develop our spiritual muscles in service and become stronger, our reward is that we will be expected to carry even heavier burdens and still feel good about the service. To those who have more, more is given (25:29).
Sometimes we are tempted to give up hope that our work for Christ, the small deeds of compassion and kindness, will amount to anything. But we have assurance that the good we do, even in small ways, is not wasted or forgotten.
Jesus said in Matt 10:42 that even one drink of cold water given to one in need will be remembered.
So our reward for using God's gifts wisely will be greater opportunity to use even greater gifts. These greater opportunities are His blessing and approval for being good stewards. Every instance of such added opportunity also brings us closer to our Lord as we seek to become more faithful to His service.
Becoming more effective disciples is personally sharing and transferring the full knowledge of our relationship with Christ to another person. This is the expectation placed upon us as we serve as disciples to the Lord. When we take the good news that God has given us and invest it in the lives of others so that they can also come to know Him, we will discover our greatest joy.
