ENTRUSTED BY GOD WITH SACRED RESPONSIBILITY
Pastor Joel Bernardino – January 31, 2026
Many people come to God asking for blessings.
We pray for more time, more provision, more opportunities, more favor.
But what if God’s goal is not just to bless us—but to trust us?
What if every blessing we receive is actually a responsibility in disguise?
This brings us to a powerful truth:
God does not simply bless us—He entrusts us.
Everything we have—our life, time, resources, abilities, influence—has been entrusted by God.
And whatever God entrusts, He considers sacred.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2, “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
1. We are called to be managers of God’s resources, not owners of them.
Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
The Bible teaches us that God is the owner of everything, and we are simply managers or stewards of what He has placed in our hands.
This means:
• Our money is God’s money
• Our time is God’s time
• Our abilities are God’s gifts
• Our opportunities are God’s assignments
We do not possess these things permanently.
God entrusts them to us temporarily.
Being a manager means:
We use what God owns according to His will
We follow His instructions
We give an account of how we handled His resources
When we live as owners, we ask:
“What do I want to do with this?”
When we live as managers, we ask:
“Lord, how do You want this to be used?”
Illus: THE RENTED HOUSE
When you rent a house, you live in it—but you don’t own it.
You can enjoy it.
You can take care of it.
But you cannot change everything according to your own desires.
Why?
Because it belongs to someone else.
In the same way, God has entrusted us with life, resources, and opportunities—but ownership still belongs to Him.
Illus: THE TALENTS (Matthew 25)
In the Parable of the Talents, the master gives resources to his servants and goes away.
The servants do not own the talents.
They manage them until the master returns.
The master does not ask,
“Did you enjoy the money?”
He asks,
“What did you do with what I entrusted to you?”
God will ask us the same question.
We do not own anything permanently—we manage temporarily.
The moment we think we are owners, pride enters.
But when we know we are managers, humility follows.
Stewardship begins with this mindset:
“Lord, this belongs to You.”
2. God has placed in our hands a sacred responsibility.
God entrusting something to us is an act of trust.
• It is a privilege, not a burden.
• He entrusts to us—time, gifts, influence, and resources.
• We must be handled with reverence and obedience.
Note: God could do everything Himself.
But He chooses to work through people.
God sees potential in us, even when we see our limitations.
• We can see our weakness.
• We can’t do our job perfectly.
• We often fail; we are just ordinary individuals.
• Yet He gives us sacred responsibility.
To be entrusted by God is an honor.
To be faithful is our response.
A sacred responsibility requires:
• Reverence – recognizing that what we handle belongs to God
• Obedience – using it according to His will, not our own
• Faithfulness – managing it well, even when no one is watching
When we treat God’s trust lightly, we dishonor the Giver.
When we treat it reverently, we glorify Him.
Illus: THE TEMPLE VESSELS
In the Old Testament, vessels used in the temple were set apart for God.
They were ordinary objects—but once dedicated, they became sacred.
When King Belshazzar misused them for a party (Daniel 5), judgment followed.
The lesson is clear:
What is set apart for God must not be treated as common.
Likewise, our time, gifts, and resources may seem ordinary—but because God entrusted them, they are sacred.
Illus: A SURGEON’S HANDS
A surgeon’s hands are ordinary—but in the operating room, they carry sacred responsibility.
Every movement matters.
Carelessness costs lives.
In the same way, God places responsibility in our hands.
What we do with our words, decisions, and actions affects lives and eternity.
What God entrusts is never ordinary—it is sacred.
• Your Money is a trust
Are you honoring God with the resources He has placed in your hands?
• Your Time is a trust
Are you treating your time as sacred or disposable?
• Your abilities are a trust
Are you using your gifts for God or only for yourself?
3. God does not demand perfection, but He does require faithfulness.
God has never demanded perfection from His people.
• If perfection were required, no one would qualify.
• That is why we need grace.
• But while God does not demand perfection, He does require faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 4:2, “It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
What is God expecting from us?
• To be dependable, even when unseen
• To obey consistently, not occasionally
• To remain committed, even when results are slow
God is not looking for flawless performance—
He is looking for faithful obedience.
Perfection focuses on results.
Faithfulness focuses on responsibility.
God measures our stewardship not by how impressive we are,
but by how faithful we are with what He has entrusted.
Illus: THE FAITHFUL MAIL CARRIER
A mail carrier’s job is not to write the letters.
His job is to deliver them faithfully.
The mail carrier may not be famous.
He may not be praised.
But if he delivers the mail every day, he has done his job well.
In the same way, God is not asking us to create greatness—
He is asking us to be faithful with what He gives.
Illus: THE SERVANT WITH TWO TALENTS
In Matthew 25, the servant with two talents was praised just like the servant with five.
They received the same words:
“Well done, good and faithful servant.”
God did not compare results.
He honored faithfulness.
The issue was not how much they produced—
but how faithfully they used what they were given.
Faithfulness looks like:
• Showing up when you feel tired
• Serving even when no one applauds
• Obeying even when it is hard
Anyone can be passionate for a moment.
God looks for people who are faithful over time.
4. Being entrusted by God always comes with accountability.
God does not merely give resources and walk away.
He watches, He cares, and He will one day ask.
Luke 16:2, “Give an account of your management.”
3 Important Truths:
a) Our stewardship is temporary
What we manage today will not remain in our hands forever.
b) Our accountability is certain
One day, every steward will stand before God—not to compare with others, but to give a personal account.
c) Our accountability is purposeful
God’s accounting is not about condemnation, but evaluation—how we handled His trust.
This truth is not meant to frighten us, but to awaken us to live responsibly and intentionally.
Illus: THE COMPANY AUDIT
In any organization, there comes a time for an audit.
During an audit:
- Records are reviewed
- Decisions are examined
- Accountability is required
The audit does not mean the manager is hated—it means responsibility is real.
In the same way, God’s accounting is not a sign of rejection, but of trust.
He audits what He entrusts.
Illus: RETURNING BORROWED ITEMS
When you borrow something valuable, you know one day it must be returned.
You take care of it.
You use it wisely.
You don’t abuse it.
Why?
Because you know you will face the owner again.
Everything God has given us is borrowed.
One day, we will return it—and give an account.
One day, every steward will stand before God.
God will NOT ask: “How much did you have?”
God will ask: “What did you do with what I gave you?”
CLOSING:
FAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP LEADS TO GREATER TRUST
Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”
God promotes faithfulness.
When we manage well:
• God entrusts more
• God expands influence
• God increases impact
Promotion in God’s Kingdom comes through stewardship, not ambition.
Faithfulness today prepares us for greater responsibility tomorrow.
We are entrusted by God with sacred responsibility.
• We are stewards.
• We are accountable.
• We are entrusted.
May we live each day with this prayer:
“Lord, help me be faithful with what You have placed in my hands.”
