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The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines Stewardship above. Let’s take a look at how we can be Stewards of:
- Our Own Gifts & Talents
- The Gifts & Talents of Others
- God’s Creation
Stewards of Our Own Gifts & Talents
One of the many things that differentiates “Out of This World Leaders” from the rest isn’t the amount of time available to them (we all have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, right?) but the manner in which they exercise their talents and gifts during that time. That’s what stewardship is about: faithfully developing and using our gifts, talents, and resources within the amount of time God gives us.
When Jesus taught about his second coming in Matthew 25:14-30, He emphasized that only faithful stewards would be properly ready for His return. He used a parable about three servants who each received money from their master before he left on a long journey. Upon his return, the master learned that two of the servants invested the money while the third buried it. The master rebuked the lazy servant and punished him severely while the faithful servants enjoyed the rewards they reaped for their diligent labor.
We are all stewards of the resources, abilities, and opportunities we’ve been given. In fact, as part of my journey in building diversity & inclusion competency, I’ve learned a lot about “white privilege.” I know as a white man in America, there are a variety of privileges provided to me at work and in society (for more about that, see my July 2, 2014 post entitled “A Post-Racial America?”). Therefore, I have a responsibility to share that privilege with others, so they can benefit as well.
Stewards of the Gifts & Talents of Others
Leaders are stewards. They manage multiple resources because in addition to maximizing their own resources, they direct others in using their resources wisely.
In his book entitled Stewardship, Peter Block equates stewardship with a leader’s commitment to developing his or her human resources. To put it simply, people should be an “Out of This World Leader’s” greatest stewardship focus.
A Biblical view of leadership focuses on what God deems is important. The Bible points out over and over again, that is people. Whatever else Biblical leaders feel responsible for in the name of stewardship, they must accept responsibility for the people God has entrusted to their care.
Leaders influence people to be better than they would otherwise be themselves. That’s the leadership skill of stewardship in action…
Stewards of God’s Creation
Since God created Adam, He entrusted us with the responsibility of being stewards of the resources and creatures of this planet.
Now, for the first time in human history, we face the crisis of global pollution and the destruction of irreplaceable resources (like the rain forests). Please know that no one would mistake me for an “environmentalist.” But this isn’t about a political position or perspective. This is about taking care of God’s creation. Instead of taking care of it, we’re abusing it…thinking that some precious resources are never-ending, looking out for our own selfish short-term gains. Scripture cautions us in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
Are you a steward for God’s creation? “Out of This World Leaders” pay attention to that…
Let me leave you with a question. Have you developed a “stewardship mentality”—a growing awareness that you will one day give an account for the trusts you have been provided?
