Stewardship
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—Chapter 5—
FOR YOU TO INVEST:
Things Meant For Production And Re-Production
“And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
—Luke 19:13.
Talent grows when you serve others with it for their edification; resources grow when you invest them for production and reproduction.
God Gives Resources to Invest
In the Garden of Eden, the initial plants that were there were planted by God. Through them, the first couple would get the seeds for reproduction. God provides the ‘starting capital.’ How we manage the initial capital will determine the extent of growth we may experience. Whatever God put there was not going to last forever. Reproduction would replenish the garden and sustain the life circle.
“Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness; being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”—2 Corinthians 9:10-15.
A keen steward will pay attention to verse 10 and not get things misappropriated: “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness.”
The above verse says that God is the one who gives both the seed to be sown and the bread to be eaten. Let us assume that the order is significant, that is, the seed to be sown is given first followed by bread to be eaten. The idea then is: the steward must differentiate the seed from the bread. If you take corn for example, the same ‘seed’ is also what the bread comes from. When you sow it, it is a seed; when you grind it, it is flour (for the bread). The test and challenge for stewardship comes when the seed precedes the bread at a time the steward is hungry. When you get a seed to sow at a time you don’t have bread to eat, you will be tempted to eat the seed—this is misappropriation. The temptation to make bread out of a seed is strong because there is a lot of time waiting before harvest. Sowing and harvesting is a natural circle that teaches the virtue of patience.
The above scripture also shows that when stewardship is executed appropriately, beneficiaries of the bountifulness of the harvest will lead into thanksgiving unto God, and He gets the glory. In other words, he who does his work diligently and appropriately earns God thanksgiving. It is also clear from the above portion of the Scripture that it is through sowing that we get more for further distribution.
Consumption without production leads to depletion. It is through production and reproduction that we replenish the supply, leading to sustainability. These things are obvious and almost unnecessary to emphasise but there are challenges that make them very tricky for many people.
It is important to remember that there are things that God has given us to invest, we must not find or allow excuses to eat them, or use them in any other matter.
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