Stewardship and Leadership (part 1)
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.
Enter into the joy of your master.’” (Matt 25:23)
You are warmly welcome!
You have been entrusted with something; you are fully in charge today, and your master has high expectations; you could easily surprise them with exciting results beyond what was expected. Some S4 leavers are still in shock having performed better than they anticipated; their parents are elated. On the other hand, there are some who are dissappointed because they feel their efforts did not really pay off. Every ‘master’ has entrusted some resource to a ‘servant’ and waits in high expectation. Stewardship is all about taking good care of the master’s resources according to the dynamic terms and conditions. Some ‘servants’ under-perform, others perform well as projected, while others over-perform.
The issue of stewardship touches each and everyone of us. God our Creator made each of us for a purpose; like the master in Matthew 25:14-30, He gave us life and resources, and will demand an account at some point in time. The good steward confidently and gladly brings a precise report, ready to be congragulated. And the master is happy to reward the good steward with a certificate and material presents in His Kingdom! But the bad steward requires many words to fit his shame and excuses, to hide his laziness; by the end of his arrogant and irritating speech, the master’s mood has sunk and only flares fly; He cracks a lethal whip on the back of the unsuspecting wicked servant.
Recognize your stewarship opportunity: here in Church, at your workplace, at home – each task you can attempt is an opportunity. It may be the conventional prefession, but most of these will be the unlikely, the unexpected, some unique niche that you alone seems to serve well. While others lengthen complaints and even exaggerate what is going wrong, the good steward will find a way of contributing to the solution. In challenging times, are you part of the solution, or part of the problem? Remember always: hard work and good stewardship brings satisfaction, confidence, health and joy. Poor stewarship brings resentment, fear, pain and sorrow. No excuse whatsoever will exonerate you; it is all about being a good and faithful servant.
God bless you!