Earning a Blessing: Stewardship

If you want to live a blessed life, you must practice good stewardship. What exactly is stewardship? Luke 12:35-40 is a picture—we are to be ready and alert servants. Good stewardship is faithful service to those over us and their expectations. We are responsible to Jesus in particular, but also to many other authority figures.


Let's get practical: what does good stewardship look like for us tomorrow? In our jobs it looks like pleasing our supervisors, knowing their expectations, and in general making them look good. Do we have a sense of immediacy? The good servant is waiting at the door, ready at any moment to open immediately for the master. We should be by the door, prepared to serve those over us. This isn't just for employees; an entrepreneur listens to his customers and gives them what they need, and he will be blessed for it.



In Luke 12:42 it could sound like Peter would love an exemption. "Is this for us?" We don't usually love this responsibility. The Master is taking a very long time to come, and we have better things to do than wait by the door. If our Master tarries, it's because he trusts us, not because he doesn't care.

Jesus isn't complacent, and we can't be complacent. We can't lose sight of the trust our master has put in us. We in America have grown soft and complacent and irresponsible, but Jesus wants us to wait by the door. We don't usually have a sense of urgency for Jesus' coming. We don't really think it is happening soon. We get selfish and forget who the boss is (Luke 12:45-47). In jobs, families, church, etc. we have a job to do, and a responsibility for diligence.

Luke 16:8-13 — We must be faithful even in (especially in) small things. Money is actually a small thing to God. A tiny thing! We have to give something of our wealth, no matter how little we have. Let us start small. If we are faithful in small things, he will trust us with the big stuff. In your town, family, church, government, etc. look for the small things you can do. This trains you. It isn't overwhelming, and it forms a pattern in your life. Your boss will probably notice when you keep the place looking clean and spiffy, and when you go the extra mile for customers. Even being careful with your timecard is important Major in the minors!

To foster a servant-mentality, picture yourself always on the other side of a door, ready to welcome your master into a place that is ready prepared and stress-free. That kind of service gets you into places of great responsibility, like Joseph in the world and Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven.

We can't be blessed if we aren't stewarding the small things.