By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
1 Corinthians 4:2 "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." - NIV
A steward holds things in trust on behalf of another. We are stewards of the life, gifts and talents that we hold. Whatever we have — life, material and non material thing — were given to us in trust by God or others. Understanding that we are stewards of everything in our possession should have a huge bearing in fostering a lifestyle of integrity. It makes us ask, ‘How am I required to use them?’ It isn’t wise to squander or divert what we know is not your own. Paul said a steward must prove faithful.
A steward has the responsibility to take care of, manage and eventually provide accountability to show whether he did a good job or not. Jesus gave a parable to show that God will demand accountability from us for the talents He gave us (Matt 25:14-30). Paul stated that we shall all give an account individually to God (Rom 14:12). There are also human systems, laws and regulations meant to foster accountability. Some forge their way to escape human audits, but not with God.
With this in mind, one will endeavour to be found faithful. Not only do we account to God, but to human authorities who trusted and put us into the positions and responsibilities we hold to properly manage the things in our care. When people forget or ignore stewardship, they become unfaithful and do all sorts of evil as driven by selfish and greedy motives. This explains all the messes and corruption scandals we see. Remember you are a steward! Be found faithful.
Matthew 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them."
Shalom children of God.