Title: Stewardship view/(1 Peter 4:7-11)
Contents
Depending on what kind of outlook on life a person has, his life can be either happy or unhappy. Therefore, if we want to live a happy life, we must establish our outlook on life correctly.
Christians are people who have established a stewardship view of life and live with it. The stewardship view of life means realizing that one's self is a steward of God, confessing this, and leading a worthy life as a steward.
So, first of all, what is a stewardship? A servant who takes charge of the owner's property and manages it faithfully. According to the Bible, all humans, especially Christians, are stewards of God.
What is a steward's life like?
1. A life that acknowledges the ownership of God
A steward is a person who believes that he has only control, and that the ownership is entirely with God.
The Bible clearly teaches that God is the creator of all things, the owner of people, and the giver of all things.
(Genesis 1:1, Psalm 24:1, Lev 25:23, Hag 2:8, Ezekiel 18:4, Psalm 50:10-11)
Our Lord also clearly taught the principle of stewardship through various parables.
(Luke 12:42, Matthew 25:.14-30, Luke 12:16-21)
The apostle Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 4:7, "What do you have that you did not receive?" He declared the fundamental truth of the steward, pointing out that our bodies also belong to Christ (Acts 20:28, 1 Corinthians 6:19) Children (Ps. 127:3) and the ability to obtain wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) are all from God. It is a gift from
Living with this kind of faith brings two blessings to life.
(1) Don't fall for pride.
(2) Do not fall into a feeling of inferiority.
2. A life that acknowledges God's right to recover
“The owner is also the rightful person. Therefore, God, who has entrusted his possessions to me for some time due to a certain need, has the right to recover it according to other needs, and this is a very natural principle. Job realized this principle. confessed this
"Naked came from my mother's womb, and naked shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD took away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21).
There are two wisdoms in the life of a steward who acknowledges God's right to recover in this way.
(1) It does not depend on the substance itself. (1 Timothy 6:17-19; Psalm 62:10, Proverbs 23:4-5)
(2) Obey God's orders.
3. A life that recognizes God's right to use
Since the right to use is incidental to ownership, the steward must use it according to the will of God, the owner. That's why the Lord said, "Be wise and true stewards" (Luke 12:42).
A steward who can recognize God's right to use is accompanied by the following two wisdoms.
(1) Do not abuse. (See Luke 16:1-9, 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
(2) Do not monopolize. (See Luke 12:16-21)
4 . A Life That Recognizes God's Right to Gratitude
God, the owner, has set “accounting days” to check whether the things entrusted to the steward are properly managed according to God’s purpose. “Count what you saw” (Luke 16:2).
A steward who lives by acknowledging God's right to give thanks naturally learns the wisdom of two things in life.
(1) Live with the consciousness of the last day.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
(2) Offer utmost allegiance. When the Lord’s man was motivated (2 Corinthians 5:11) and was faithful with all his heart (Colossians 3:23-24, Ephesians 6:7) for the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31), the podium of Christ (Bema ) you will receive a reward (crown) in front of you. (Ge 3:10. 22:12 2 Tim 4:8 2 John 8; see 1 Corinthians 3:8-15)
"With what shall I repay all the favors the Lord has given me?"