Stewardship

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

Originally, a steward was a servant responsible to bring food and drink to the master of the home.Later, it morphed into a larger occupation - that of managing the domestic affairs of the household including finances in some cases. When people began to travel more extensively in the last two centuries, a steward was the one responsible to see to their comfort, meals and other necessities during their trip by boat, train or plane.

But in 2012, the definition of a steward has expanded to refer to responsible planning and managing of our resources - everything from caring for our environment to our finances, health, property and even information as we communicate on a global level. We see the theme of personal responsibility all the time as we are urged to "go green" to protect our environment.

But for us as Christians, the term "stewardship" has an even deeper meaning - to take responsible care of all these resources because they really belong to God. To God, people have always been more important than material possessions so what is boils down to is that we need to live a life based on giving and serving, using the resources God has given us.

It means becoming attentive to the needs of others around us and serving them out of a willing heart - yes, even giving our very lives away if necessary to serve others in order to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:38 The Message

Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

In the end, it's the job with the best satisfaction / compensation rate!

Father, help me to be a good steward of the resources you've given me. Amen!