The Art of Stewardship

The (secret to) Art of Stewardship If you were to invest the time and resources to visit any bookstore in the free world, you will find many books that address the subjects of how to achieve success in life and financial security. From the beginning of that period in history when man first developed the ability to convey his thoughts, ideas and practices with paintings and markings on cave walls until now, millions of books have been written and sold that addresses these two all-important subjects. Today’s topics range in part from how to achieve success in life and financial security in due course by investing in the stock market, trading in real estate, manufacturing a product, or by providing an essential service. However, upon closer observation and study of the Holy Bible, you will discover that Our Heavenly Father has also invested some time to inspire a few good men…(2 Tim. 3:16)…to write His book on how to achieve success in life and financial security. The fact is that while many believers are diligent in their commitment to adopt God’s principles and to practice them with discipline and determination, there is the vast majority who profess to have no love for, or belief in God at all, but yet they have chosen to adapt quite a few of them. Please allow me share one example of the adaptation of a godly principle…Quid…Pro…Quo is a very popular Latin term used in politics and business today and when it is translated into English, it means this for that, or to simplify it even further, it means give something to get something. I have a message for all those who subscribe to this worldly system deception, one day real soon you too will discover that God’s principles cannot be separated from him…period! (Gal. 6: 7) The Holy Bible, God’s inspirational word in print, clearly addresses, and just as clearly defines what is God’s will, God’s way, and God’s purpose on the issue of giving when it states… It is better to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) THE QUESTION: Why have God’s principles been adapted by those people who subscribe to the worldly system’s standard of performance? THE RESPONSE: It is because they have been led to believe that they are automatically qualified to know how to do a better job of achieving success in life and financial security than anyone else… INCLUDING GOD HIMSELF! (Isa. 14:13-14) They truly believe that by adapting God’s principles it will automatically qualify them for a built in license to steal people’s hopes, to kill people’s dreams, and to destroy people’s opportunities in their quest to achieve their own version of success in life and financial security. (John 10:10) They also believe that they will automatically qualify for immunity from the penalty of God’s pre-ordained judgment…(Deut. 28:15-67)…for their rebellion and disobedience for rejecting His instructions because all they have to do is ask for His forgiveness…(Col. 1:14)…however, even that will only happen at the time of their judgment. (Matt. 12:36-37) THE QUESTION: Can we identify those people whose practices subscribe to these worldly system principles? THE RESPONSE: They are readily identified as thieves, murderers, pimps, drug dealers, etc., etc., (Rev. 21:8) THE QUESTION: Why have some people chosen to adopt, while others choose to adapt God’s principles? THE RESPONSE: The reason is not that difficult to understand, nor is it even that difficult to explain… The fact of the matter is that God’s principles work, and they work every time, all the time, one hundred percent of the time, up to and including those times when they are deliberately used to deceive…(Josh. 9:3-26)…as such, those persons who subscribe to the worldly system’s standard of performance believe that by adapting God’s principles and practices they will not be required to personally give Him all the praise, honor and glory. In addition, they have been blinded by the god of this world…(2 Cor. 4:3-4)…to the conclusive fact that when God decides to do something, and this is regardless of whether or not they believe that He can even take their evil and transform it into His good…(Gen. 50:20)…all believers and non-believers alike do not have to be sold or misled into who actually did the job because every single one of us has the built in ability to see, hear, feel, smell and taste the end results of God’s handiwork for ourselves. (Rom. 1:18-25) The problem is that all non-believers are as deceptive in their principles and practices as the god of this world who is their father…(John 8:44)…the father who will eventually lead every one of his children to the place specifically prepared for Satan and his angels. (Matt. 25:41) THE FACT OF THE MATTER: Since you have no choice but to play in the game called living life, do not play because you want to be successful and financially secure… PLAY…because you have invested the time and the resources to acquire the knowledge in order to achieve the level of success in life and financial security that God has for you! PLAY…because you have invested the time and resources to develop all the skills to know how to make prudent, practical, prompt and profitable decisions! PLAY…because you have connected yourself and thereby committed yourself to be obedient to the voice of God’s calling…(Deut. 28:1 – 2)…so that He will be the one to lead the way as your source of unlimited power that has the absolute authority to deliver the irrevocable guarantee that you were chosen to be blessed…(Eph. 1:18)…with the non-refundable right to… PLAY…because God Himself has already given you the right to expect to be! (Rom. 11:29)