Faith April 4, 2023 By
Stewardship, quite simply, is recognizing that everything we are and everything we have are gifts from God. As well, we have a duty to be grateful, generous, and diligent with those gifts. Stewards are not owners. Stewards wisely manage what has been given to them to nurture and grow them. Your health, wealth, relationships, and abilities are all gifts to be stewarded.
So, how should we steward things? Do we hoard out of fear or scatter them abroad wastefully? Neither. The Bible story of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 tells of an owner who was leaving his house to travel. Before leaving, he entrusted his property to his employees. According to each man’s abilities, one worker received five talents, the second received two, and the third received only one. When the owner returned, the men with five and two talents had doubled their investments, yet the man who only was given one talent had hoarded his by hiding it in a hole. The workers who had wisely stewarded their money were rewarded with promotions, while the one who didn’t was scolded, and his talent was taken away.
How does this relate to Easter? And where do Nest Eggs come into the picture? I am so glad you asked. God reveals His perfect and infinite love for us most visibly in His Son, Jesus Christ. He was given to us as a gift from God to cleanse us of our wrongdoing and put us in right standing with God. Our job as believers is to put all our faith in this gift without hoarding it.
This gift is a big part of our Spiritual Nest Egg. Spiritual Nest Eggs can grow just like Financial Nest Eggs. When we steward our relationship with Christ it bears more fruit. A strong spiritual steward makes God’s love visible by imitating Jesus and spreading God’s love abroad. Love is the one gift that multiplies when it is shared.
We cannot walk in faith and love with the fear that what we have is all we will ever receive. That isn’t the heart of a trustworthy steward. When we fear, we become self-focused, hold too tightly, and only think in the short term. Courageous stewards recognize that their mandate is to spend their lives wisely. This means investing in the right relationships – especially our relationship with God. As well, finding ways to manage and grow our finances, and attending to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
We all know people who are great examples of stewardship. These people are more likely to think beyond themselves, focus on the long-term, and find ways to multiply their nest eggs to benefit themselves and their loved ones.
As we focus on the resurrection season, we can be worthy stewards by spreading love and sharing the hope of Christ.
