STEWARDING THE THINGS OF THE LORD

A couple of months earlier, I made a goal board for how I wanted 2025 to look like for my health, finances, my relationship with Jesus and work wise.  This looked like what I would be cutting out from my diet like processed sugars and foods ,to going to the gym 4 days a week , stretching far to my investing and 2 hour dates with Jesus daily  as well as my business. I wanted to lead with an intentionality in how I lived but I kept falling short. I would occasionally make excuses  not go to the gym or have that cookie  which made me realise that if i compromised on something that seemed small, I would definitely compromise on something bigger. 

James Clear quotes in his book Atomic habits that " Similarly, a slight change in your daily habits can guide your life to a very different destination. Making a choice that is 1 percent better or 1 percent worse seems insignificant in the moment but over the span of moments that makeup a lifetime these choices determine the difference between who you are and who you could be. Success is the product of daily habits --- not once-in-a-lifetime transformations."

I remember this one day, i was off of work and I just did not feel like doing anything. I had a list of things to do that day but laziness and procrastination seemed like the best pick . The creation story came to my mind [God making the earth in 6 days then resting on the 7th ]. I later received a revelation that laziness was not in the character of God and that I was acting outside of His character. He had made me a new creation yet I was still coming into agreement with the character of my old nature. Earlier this week, the word stewardship was placed on my heart and I received confirmation that this was something I needed to walk through when my friend who I usually call monday nights spoke of the same thing. I got to learn that stewardship went as far as how you take care of the house you stay at, to how you show up in public and also how you treat the people God has placed around you. 

There's a parable that comes to mind when I think of stewardship and it is the parable of the talents in  Matthew 25 : 14 -30 which says “For it is just like a man who was about to take a journey, and he called his servants together and entrusted them with his possessions. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and then he went on his journey. The one who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he [made a profit and] gained five more. Likewise the one who had two [made a profit and] gained two more. But the one who had received the one went and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “Now after a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  And the one who had received the five talents came and brought him five more, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted to me five talents. See, I have [made a profit and] gained five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’ “Also the one who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have [made a profit and] gained two more talents.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’  “The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed. So I was afraid [to lose the talent], and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is your own.’ “But his master answered him, ‘You wicked, lazy servant, you knew that I reap [the harvest] where I did not sow and gather where I did not scatter seed.  Then you ought to have put my money with the bankers, and at my return I would have received my money back with interest.  So take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’ “For to everyone who has [and values his blessings and gifts from God, and has used them wisely], more will be given, and [he will be richly supplied so that] he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have [because he has ignored or disregarded his blessings and gifts from God], even what he does have will be taken away.  And throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness; in that place [of grief and torment] there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].

From this parable, we know that the master is God and we are the servants.Another thing to notice is that the master had spent time with the servants and gotten to know them. He had seen how they handled the situations or tests that  He had allowed them to go through and this determined how much He entrusted to them. I find it interesting that no word was spoken over what to do with what was entrusted to them but the  first two servants  understood that this was something greater than just being handed someone else's belongings because their response was to go and multiply while the third servant's response was to hide what he had been given. He had claimed in Matthew 25:24-25 to know His master as a harsh and demanding man but His master's response to the first two showed otherwise. On the contrary, the master still entrusting the third servant with His belongings even when He knew his character shows love and mercy but the third servant did not really know His master's heart.  

1 Corinthians 2 : 16 says "For who has known the mind and purposes of the Lord, so as to instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ [to be guided by His thoughts and purposes]."

The first two servants had the mind of Christ. They had a relationship with their master and truly knew what He desired which is how they knew what to do because it says that" The one entrusted with five talents went at once" and it speaks of the second servant doing the same. They did not wait but handled it right away. There was an urgency in handling the matters of their master and a responsibility they understood. The third servant was rebuked by His master for  his actions when He returned and said to be a "wicked and lazy servant." This servant did not understand the value of the blessings and gifts that had been entrusted to Him and in return He was thrown out to be punished. We had a few examples earlier on what some of these gifts and blessings are but other examples are ; your life , your job, your car, your pet, pretty much all things that God has allowed you to have. How have you been taking care of them? I think of how the two servants handled it at once and I know there's been days that I would make a meal and put the dishes in the sink. I would say that I would do them later but if I come back home late from work, I would be tired and make that excuse again. It can be as simple as doing your dishes that day and not allowing laziness to have any room. Finishing all that you need to do on the day of and not saying you'll do it tomorrow.

This week has been challenging but also refreshing because I am taking a step out of the old patterns I had been walking in with the help of the Holy spirit and holding on. One of the scriptures I have continuously been praying over myself is 2 Timothy 1 :7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]."  As a child of the Lord, I have already been given personal discipline I just need to entrust myself to the Lord and ask for His help to walk through it. It is already readily available for me and you. We just need to ask.I want to end with a scripture from colossians 3 : 23-24 which says "Whatever you do [whatever your task may be], work from the soul [that is, put in your very best effort], as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [greatest] reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you [actually] serve."

So the question is how should we properly steward the things of the Lord?

• Well for starters, spend time with the Lord. The only way we can know how He wants us to handle what He has entrusted to us is if we continuously spend time with Him. Ask Him for direction and clarity of how to tackle everyday situations. Ask Him even if you're not sure if He will respond.
• Secondly,handle them at once. Do not wait once you have confirmation from the Lord if it is something a lot bigger the Lord is calling you to. If it is something in your daily routine handling it at once helps you become more diligent and this builds your character into who the Lord is.
• Create a routine.It might seem simple but we need to honour the Lord in our time so how we spend our days is really important. I would suggest waking up earlier and planning your days the day before so that you have an idea of how your day would potentially look like but ensure you leave room for the guidance of the Holy spirit to disrupt your plans when need be.
• Do not compromise! Compromising allows room for more compromising. If you have made a choice to wake up say at 5am everyday, it's your day off and you want to sleep in just count to 5 and stand up. I would do that and found myself making the same choice everyday. That small choice rippled into my week and then my month. It's better to fully avoid it that create room for bad decisions to grow and spread into other areas of your life. 
  
• Surround yourself with people that live the same life you desire to. Proverbs 13 : 20 says "He who walks [as a companion] with wise men will be wise, But the companions of [conceited, dull-witted] fools [are fools themselves and] will experience harm."  Who we surround ourselves with helps keep us accountable. If you want to go further find an accountability partner among your friends to keep you on your toes. You'll find yourself enjoying and seeing the fruits from living a life honouring the Lord.
• Prayer and speaking scripture over yourself. This is such a powerful tool! The scriptures talk of how there is life and death in the power of tongue and when you speak life giving words over yourself that speak of the character of the Lord you end up not only coming into agreement with them but also along the way believing in it. Seeking the help of the Lord and understanding you actually can not boast thinking it has all been in your strength but only the Lord that allowed you to be disciplined and keep pushing.

Prayer.

Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for the time, my life, job, family ,friends and all you have blessed me with. Help me work hard and find joy in all you have entrusted me with that I would be diligent in how I serve you. Your word in 2 Timothy 1 :7 says the spirit of God has given me personal discipline so I pray that you would help me walk in this discipline all my days. I refuse to come into agreement with laziness today and the rest of my days. I step out of agreement with anything outside of your character and consider them nullified and void in the name of Jesus.Give me a deeper desire to know you that i would know your desires and will. Transform my desires and place your will in my heart that it would be locked in me. Strengthen me in my walk to choose to honour you rather than satisfying the desires of my flesh.Speak to me on how you desire me to honour and take care of all i have been entrusted. Do not allow me to love the gift over the gift giver. Help me not idolize it but blossom my love for you into a deep and more profound love. Thank you for your mercy and grace. I pray this all in the name of Jesus and seal it by the blood of Jesus. 

I love you Jesus. In your name i pray. Amen.

I pray this week's message blessed you and that you go with a new found strength of how to properly steward all you have been entrusted with. May the face of the  Lord never depart from you and may He empower you on how to make decisions that honour Him. I love you but Jesus loves you more.