STEWARDSHIP – What It Means

Do you know what a steward is? It is a word seldom used in our culture. A steward is one who performs the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property on behalf of another. God, in his wisdom, gave the job of stewardship to humans after he created the earth and all that is within it. What was he thinking?

When we consider climate change, human suffering, economic crisis for billions of people, and the lack of life and growth in God’s own family, the Church, it might be easy to question the wisdom to give humans stewardship of His creation.

Yet we read, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10 NKJV) This above sentence is instructive:

1. Everyone is important and has a specific ability called a gift.

2. We are to use our gift to help others.

3. God gives us manifold grace (meaning a lot of and in various forms) of special ability to be his stewards, or his representatives to take care of his creation.

There are four overarching dimensions needing stewardship. They are:

1. human life,
2. the state of the earth,
3. His church,
4. and finances.

These four areas affect and determine every part of our existence.

What can we do? For some the problem is too big. For others, they don’t even consider there is a problem. But for those that are followers of Jesus, there is a mandate from heaven to be good stewards of Life, the Earth, the Church and Money.

This week I begin a new mini four-week Stewardship Series on the above four areas.

This Sunday I will be talking about the importance of honoring life, dealing with the question of MAID (medical assistance in dying) and what Jesus meant when he said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV)

Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday.