Heaven's Treasures Series

This information on these expected or unexpected rewards and blessings are well documented—scripturally. Sometimes the rewards are not what you expect. For example, Noah was such a godly person and good family man God rewarded him with 125 years of hard labor building the ark. “Wait a minute,” you might say, “that doesn't sound like a blessing?” Well, is it not true, he and his family got to live while all others perished. That's a reward in my book.

If you had to provide, one-overall word to encompass good deeds, caring for your fellow humans, Christian giving, living piously, plus tithing to the Lord God your prayers, time, wealth, and worship—what might that word be? I offer “stewardship.” Do you agree? But before we can speak of any stewardship responsibilities, we need to acknowledge our position in God's hierarchy.

It doesn't add to or diminish your responsibilities to God if you are the CEO of a multinational conglomerate, or a hospital nurse, or a movie star or one of the volunteer Candy-strippers who empties bed pans. Or maybe you find yourself in the same, wonderful position I am in—retired. No matter what your title is, you must consider yourself a “Middle-Manager,” with very important, highly responsible, functions to perform. You are God's emissary.

Imagine, of all that God gives you—He expects you to supervise and share.

Next, let’s examine your title of “steward.” Among the general population, its usage has declined since the early 1900s. Nowadays it is mostly used to refer to a flight attendant or cruise ship cabin attendant. The Bible, however, instructs us to be a good steward, acting as forthright servants overseeing the assets God has placed in our position.

Jesus himself asked by saying, “Who is the wise and trusted servant? The master trusts one servant to give the other servants their food at the right time. Who is the servant that the master trusts to do that work? When the master comes and finds him doing the work he gave him, it will be a day of blessing for that servant!” In other words, a good steward is a servant who is mindful that Jesus will return anytime. It’s the person who behaves like a good or bad servant will be held accountable for his care of others.

In the “parable of the talents” as read in Matthew and Luke, Jesus identifies the attributes of good stewardship. In these stories, three stewards each receive an allotment of money to manage on behalf of the owner. Two stewards invested their talents wisely and substantially increased what they were given. Thus, to each the owner replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

In Jesus’ day, a talent was equivalent to about 6,000 denarii. A single biblical talent was worth enough money that a person who owned it would be considered rich. If an average worker earned a denarius a day it would take some 20 years or hard labor just to earn a single talent. Ten thousand talents was an astronomical amount of money for the common man, and if owed, a seemingly unpayable debt. Which brings us back to the third slave or servant.