Stewardship

My day job just had a work retreat the other day. It was a time for team building and personal development, ya know, all that good stuff.

If I'm being honest, I assumed it would be a boring day full of facts, figures, and other work-related information.

Thankfully, it actually was a fairly thought-provoking day. It helps that most of us who attended share similar beliefs. While not all the information was Biblical, per se, I think most of it could be traced back to Biblical principles. I was grateful for that.

If I'm being honest, I was challenged in a few areas myself.

Before the day officially started, some of us held a short devotional. The passage was from Matthew 25: The Parable of the Talents.

Just as those servants were given responsibility, we too have been given much. What we do with it matters.

I admit I felt pretty convicted as we talked about it that morning.

But what is stewardship? And what is a steward? Well, as in the parable, a steward is someone given responsibility over someone else's property or affairs.

As Christians, God has given us charge over many different things. He is our master, and we are His stewards.

When we think of these things, we often think of money, resources, and perhaps our talents. But this charge is over many other areas. Our time, our work (our place of work, our ministry, and what we must do at home and in our communities), and our relationships are all gifts that God has given us to steward well.

James 1:17 reminds us that every good gift is from God. We can draw some things from that.

Regarding stewardship, it means that God has given us responsibilities. Since they're from Him, we are to treat them rightly and with high regard. This alone is quite convicting to me.

Also, it shows us that the God of the universe has chosen to take us under His wing. He desires that we be a part of what He is doing in the world. This is something that should bring us joy as we steward His good gifts.

But it also means that what God has given us to steward is good. We should remove things that are not good (such as sin and that which takes us away from God).

I'd be lying to you if I said I stewarded everything God has given me well. I can't really pick out just one; I struggle with them all at times. I believe it comes down to balance. We don't want to work so much that we neglect our families or the rest we truly need. But we can't spend so much time with others that we don't do what needs to be done. We have to recognize distractions prayerfully. I'm not an expert, but I know it's true.

There's really a whole host of things I could say about this topic. I'd defer to some resources I've shared in the past from Redeeming Productivity.

But ultimately what I want to share is this: We should all try to steward what God has given us better. And I think this starts by recognizing that if it's a good responsibility, then it's given to us by God. How can we best honor Him and others with it?

But also, be encouraged: He gave it to us, so I'm sure He is right there to help us in it.