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]Writing daily devotions throughout the years I’ve often been asked the question, “How do I find the will of God?” There are probably many good scriptural approaches to answering this question; but I want to offer something very basic as you think about understanding the will of God. That is, simply, that you’ll know His will when you come to know the heart of God.
These past few days, writing about the will of God, has reminded me of the prophet Jeremiah, and how the Lord knew him – even before he was in his mother’s womb, and he was sanctified by God as a prophet to the nations. A similar foreknowledge and ordination of God belongs to us who are under the New Covenant. God’s foreknowledge of His people is clearly stated in scripture. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, and created in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) unto good works which He foreordained that we walk in them.
For the past few days we’ve been delving into the multiple meanings of “Amen”. While “Amen” is most commonly found at the end of prayers, the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) often used it at the beginning of a statement: “Truly, truly, I say unto you …” more accurately translated, “Amen, Amen, I say unto you…”
Murmuring or complaining is one of those sins that are overlooked. Sometimes we get so focused on the “big sins” such as murder and adultery that we overlook this sin — but the Lord doesn’t give this sin a free pass — quite the opposite. It’s a hidden killer! This sin unleashed a plague that killed thousands of Israelites! [Numbers 16]
For years, when I visited my father-in-law’s home in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, we would break bread and bless the bread with the traditional blessing – “Baruch Ata Adonai Eleheynu Melech HaOlam Ha-Motzi Lechem Min Ha’aretz” – which translated means,”Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has given us bread from the earth”. After the blessing, my father-in-law would take salt and sprinkle the challah bread as he broke and passed it to everyone at the table.
Yeshua (Jesus) said He is the “bread of life”. It was His body that was broken on our behalf as the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Notice that He never once called us to be the “bread of life”! He is the ONLY “Bread of Life” – the true bread who came down from Heaven which anyone may eat and not die. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is His flesh, given for the life of the world.
As we continue to probe the lessons from the salt covenant, we now inquire into our part in the covenant.