Stewardship Part 1-The Basics

We just left Oklahoma. What a wonderful trip. When I get the opportunity to minister to God's people, I feel overwhelmed with His love. When His people are hungry and honoring, I feel like I am in heaven. That was what it was like at Glory River Church. I want to welcome you if you are new to my email list. I want to thank you for joining. I have something from the Lord that I feel I need to highlight. That is stewarding His grace towards us. I hope that you enjoy this short teaching.

The Law of Stewardship

Most people don't think about stewardship in a way that effectively causes the increase. However, there might not be a more critical aspect of the Kingdom so that we will be found faithful before the Lord. Stewardship is not on our thoughts because we are not on a training track that teaches it for most of our lives. Many jobs are not focused on creating increases but on completing a specific task. Like an air-traffic controller, my job was to efficiently get the planes through my sector. There was little focus on how I could get more aircraft through the airspace to allow a profit increase for my employer. I worked for the government, so profit was never the focus.  

You might have the same misleading concept at work. How do I complete the day's task and make it to the end of the week? Few people are looking at how to increase the overall productivity of their job. This might be because of the fear of more work in the long run. The goal then becomes how do I do the minor work. This goes directly against the Kingdom concepts laid out by Jesus.

Here we will examine a few scriptures.

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Luke 16:11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Luke 16:12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

We will discuss three points.  

1. Being faithful in the little is the road to being faithful in the fullness. Forsaking the least things only delays and causes bad outcomes when more is involved.

2. Faithfulness starts in the arena of money and the unrighteous things of the world.

3. If you are not faithful in what is another man's, you will not receive what has been set aside for your future.  

We could break down this even further as this topic has been a massive part of my life. Let us start with the first one. 

Faithfulness or unfaithfulness does not change by quantity. The way we are in little is the way we are in much. The habits that we create and develop will follow us. It does not mean that we cannot change, it is possible to change, but it will be at a higher cost if we wait too long to make that change. To make us aware of our lack of ability, the Father will give us tests along the way. We try to make things as routined as possible for most of us. Thinking this way causes us to ignore the potential all around us. Highly effective people walk through life with their eyes wide open on how that can improve.  

Many avoid this because, if viewed wrong, you can believe that you are no good at all. The human spirit struggles with two contradicting thoughts. One is that God loves us just the way we are, and the second is that He desires us to be transformed. The love of the Father is a constant absolute, while transformation is an inconsistent process. Well, at least it is inconsistent to the point that it is not always evident to us or others. I can feel His love all around me all the time. However, I cannot always determine by visual or sense that I am being transformed. Where His love is a vast ocean, transformation is more of a long staircase upwards that has plateaued with sudden jumps in advancements.   

Some people will never be honest with themselves that they need to improve. They will play the blame and victim game for the rest of their lives. The issue here is that everyone is a victim at one time. It is customary in life to suffer things along the way. What is not normal or helpful is to get stuck in the arena of victimhood. If you train your heart to be about the Father's business or the boss' business, you will discover the unlimited possibilities of life. However, if you don't, you will have to scratch and bite your way all through life. That is exhausting.  

To start, take an assessment of where you are and what is entrusted to you? Think of Joseph. No matter where he was, he always did it with excellence. For this reason, he seemed to leap over obstacles that others put in front of him. From the brothers of jealousy to the adulterous woman, he always seemed to come out the other side with the increase of the Lord. That is my prayer for you.

With Love,

Pastor Louis