Followers Are Good Stewards Part 1 Of 3 Series

Followers Are Good Stewards

Grady Henley

Part 01 of Lesson 09 of the Follow Me Series

Key Verse:

1 Tim 3:14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:

1 Tim 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

Lesson Text:

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

INTRODUCTION:

Each morning I arise, leave home, and report to the ________ Oil Refinery here in ________, Tx. as. For the next eight to eleven hours each day, (as I have for the past 27 years) I go about conducting the business of which the _____________________ has entrusted unto my care.

That being, the steward of ensuring that their crude distillation units are operating safely, efficiently, effectively, and environmentally secure. If equipment is in need of repairs, it is my responsibility to work with others to schedule the maintenance, get the best price for the repairs, and then place the equipment back in service. That in just a few lines is my stewardship.

The above is what I have been paid to do for the past 5 years. I know. I stated that I have worked there 27 years. That is correct. However, my duties and my position changed over the years. With each new position, there were new rules; old rules applied differently, more responsibility, and more accountability. One thing remained constant and that was my ruling manager: was _________________.

I say it remained constant for the name has remained _____________, even though there have been company mergers, changes in the board of directors, changes in immediate supervision, and changes in work scope. Regardless of the changes and of the duties, each year I was ranked, rated, and compensated according to my stewardship.

The dictionary defines a steward as ‘a person entrusted with the management of the affairs of others.’ Stewardship is the duration of you doing what is entrusted unto you. Should I remain faithful in fulfilling my stewardship responsibilities, one of these days, I will retire and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

If you think about your stewardship, you will conclude as well, that because of events, tenure, and unforeseen situations, your stewardship changed. Each year or so, you also, are held accountable for your stewardship. If you plan now, you will also one day retire.

Someone once said that the only thing certain is the more things change the more they remain the same. There is much truth in that adage for if you think about the many changes relating to your stewardship, you will conclude that there were many changes. However, you are doing the same thing that the human race has done since the fall of man. You are living, working, and dying.

In a world of constant change, much of which we detest, it ought to be comforting to know that there are some things that do not change. The unchangeable things are God, His word, His promises, and His expectations. He has never merged with anyone. Regardless, He continues to offer the best incentives, the best pay scale, and the most enjoyable service this side of eternity and his retirement package is out of this world. There are no uncertainties in His organizations. He offers are eternally secure. There is no chaos in carrying out His commands, only peace.

Knowing that these unchangeable blessings offered by Him are the very things that mankind seeks, ought to cause us to gladly and willingly enter into His stewardship program. However, even those that know just a little relating to His stewardship program with its bonuses, rewards, and abundant joy are reluctant to trust Him to do that which He promised in their very lives. Furthermore, some of those that took Him up on His offer did not remain faithful. Those of us that continue plodding along are constantly assured by the Holy Spirit that the eternal awards waiting for the faithful follower far exceed the temporal nuisances we endure.

There is much in the bible about God’s stewardship program. There are may examples, the Lord being the best. However, should you desire to compare what a good steward ought to be to your present life, have you considered comparing your life to that of Joseph?

Sam Wilder West Lakewood Baptist Church, said this:

“Perhaps one of the greatest examples of stewardship in the bible comes from the greatest example of the Lord as found in the life of Joseph. From Joseph we find three essential roles relating to stewardship: