29-Apr-2024 – You are a steward

Published by Sunil Binkam on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful – 1 Corinthians 4:2

Today we are meditating about another wonderful work of God in establishing a stewardship in the church for the edification of the body of Christ.

To understand the importance of this role, we need to study what is the meaning of it. A steward according to Oxford dictionary is, “An official who controls the domestic affairs of a household, supervising the service of his master’s table, directing the domestics, and regulating household expenditure;”. We can also see couple of similar meanings below –

1. One who manages the affairs of an estate on behalf of his or her employer.
2. An officer in a ship who, under the direction of the captain or the purser, keeps the stores and arranges for the serving of meals;

Based on these definitions, we can understand that a steward is a person who is –

1. Appointed by a higher authority: In the church scenario, a steward is appointed or ordained by God.
2. Receives the instructions from the higher authority: Christ being the head of the church, the instructions to lead the house of the LORD is given to the steward.
3. Controls the affairs of the house particularly for the serving at the table: A steward is responsible to receive from the LORD the living bread and serve it to the house of the LORD, as per the need.

As apostle Paul encourages the believers to consider them as the stewards, he meant that he was working under the authority of Jesus Christ. He was observing the spiritual needs of the members of the church and asking the LORD about the word and resources to build them to become spiritually strong.

And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field – Genesis 39:5

Joseph is a perfect example of stewardship. He always was thinking about the benefit for his master. In other words, he was always in the business of his master. Because he was faithful, LORD blessed his work.

In the same way, a steward or a servant of God is responsible to be faithful to the LORD in whatever he received to overseer.

In our practical life, each one of us are the stewards of our own life for the sake of our own LORD. If you are a married person, you are the steward of your family. If you are an ordained servant of God, in any position or office of operation, you are stewards of that given responsibility.

When we realize this truth, we will seek the master who is our LORD for everything. Because, unless the master gives the steward the necessary resources and authority, he cannot take are of the responsibility. In this way, there is no reason for the steward to become proud.

Moreover, Jesus himself lived an exemplary life of a steward on this earth. He was always on the business of his Father in heaven. He was always seeking the will of the Father, and he was always depending on the Father and glorifying the Father.

This is a wonderful work of God to create such a role in the church and in our life so that, we can live a life that glorifies God.

Prayer

Dear loving heavenly Father, thank you very much for your teaching today. Most of the times, I just overlooked this word and role. Today you revealed the importance of this role not only in the church but also in our own life. Thank you very much for this. Help me to understand my responsibilities on this earth, and help me to depend on you and help to do everything to please you and glorify you like a faithful steward. I pray in the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen!