Luke 12:42-46 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his lord shall set over his houseservants, to give them their portion of food in season? 43 Blessed is that servant when his lord comes and finds him so doing. 44 Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the male servants and women servants, and to eat and drink and to be drunk, 46 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know. And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
The concept of ownership often influences how one can view the world, but if we recognize the truth that our time here is short and we can’t take anything with us, it will change our perspective. We are simply stewards of what has been entrusted to us. I’ve been running Worthy and its sites for 25 years, and I’ve never thought I was an owner but rather a steward of a ministry.
But how do we define stewardship? In English, stewardship is the responsibility of safeguarding, nurturing, and enhancing the resources entrusted to you on behalf of another. However, if we dive into the Biblical definitions it will unlock deeper mysteries of stewardship, I believe it will radically transform how we live.
The Hebrew word for steward, Sochen, also translates as agent, representative, and even “power of attorney” in legal terms. In Greek, the word for steward, oikonomos, offers an even deeper insight, meaning overseer or superintendent of household affairs. So the concept of stewardship is not only taking care of one’s goods, but also of one’s family.
To be a wise steward, one must be found faithful, reliable, and trustworthy. The Hebrew word for “faithful,” ne’eman, is closely related to amin, meaning “reliable.” Both of these words share the same root as emunah, the Hebrew word for “faith”. Another word derived from this same root is omenet, meaning “nursemaid”—someone entrusted with the responsibility to nurture and raise a household and its children.
So in both Hebrew and Greek, there is a deeper revelation about stewardship, it’s not just about goods and possessions, but about how we treat one another!
So stewardship in not simply responsibility over one’s material possessions, but also encompasses our care for people and the relationships we have with one another. When we embrace this Biblical understanding, it will profoundly shape our perspective of life, what we are called to do, and how we live. So let’s choose to live to a higher level of faithfulness, trustworthiness, and love, knowing that this life and all that it entails is ultimately simply on loan to us by God!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]New Year’s Eve celebrations have come and gone. Now the reality is settling in — it’s 2025 and we’ve entered into a new decade!! Some of us are wondering where in the world the time went… the Lord knows I am.
Anyone who has traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland has probably seen the Edinburgh castle. It is a tower of seemingly insurmountable strength. However, long ago that castle was attacked and seized.
While we were in the womb, we had eyes, but there was nothing to focus on. Our eyes, equipped with rods and cones to perceive shapes and colors, remained unused in the total darkness surrounding us. Yet, those eyes were designed to see light—a hint of a world beyond the womb, a world we had yet to encounter but were created to experience.
In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.”
During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in history took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French. Both sides were dug in, safe in muddy man-made trenches six to eight feet deep that seemed to stretch forever… but it was Christmas, and what happened next was astonishing, writes Stanley Weintraub, author of the book, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.
While Chanukah is not a Biblical feast mentioned in the Old Testament, it is an important one. Chanukah commemorates the story of small group of men with much courage — enough courage to defeat even the greatest of the world’s empires.
As we mentioned a couple of days ago, Chanukah commemorates of the desecration of the holy temple of old, (just another attempt of the enemy to wipe out the Jewish people and the things of God), God’s great grace and the rededication of the temple to Him.