Stewardship: Managing things we do not ownWe talk about how we can manage life well. First of all, we need to realize the true meaning of Stewardship (management of things). English encyclopedia defines Stewardship as:Personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs … a responsibility to take care of something one does not own.To put the words in context, Stewardship talks about managing things we do not own for the benefits of someone else.1. It starts with a servant’s way of thinking.Our way of thinking determines our actions. If we thought that the world is small, then we would never be motivated to explore the world and try new things. It works the same way with our perspective towards how we manage life. If someone believes that his life belongs to himself, then he is likely to make use of whatever he’s got in his hand to benefit or make meanings for one-self. He tends to steer clear of correction and the name of responsibility since one believes that other has no right upon his life. Oh well, what a great beautiful life and what a great freedom. Yet, listen carefully. King Solomon did try. He lived such a life that dragged him into a conclusion: for everything that goes under the sun (the world) is meaningless if we walk out His great will.1Our life is God’s gift and solely belongs to The Master. This is crucial to think of and believe in shall we want to manage our life right and to do it by His words. Psalms chapter 24 reveals “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him”. Clearly, God is saying that everything that exist in this world, both ones that breathe and ones that are lifeless belong to Him. As we adopt this way of thinking or mindset, everything we do in our life will be different. Because our life and everything in it IS NOT OURS. How do we manage something of someone else’s? We won’t do whatever we want yet we will definitely seek the will of the possessor. We will be greatly cautious and careful and will do whatever possibly can to keep or maintain the ‘it’ thing. At the same time, the purpose becomes so focus on the will of the sole owner or possessor. The groundbreaking principle is ‘we shall not be able to manage our live well if we do not have faith or fully believe that our life and everything goes in it do not belong to us.’ For every single day we live our life, this is exactly the statement that we need to bear in mind ‘For whom shall I manage the things placed in my hand? Who is the sole owner or possessor?’ At the end, everything belongs to God. Yet, we need to respect the people God place in our life as what’s classified as ‘the temporary possessor or owner’ of so many things. At work, we need to understand that the position or title is gifted to us by our bosses or supervisors as the ‘temporary possessor or owner’ and we need to maintain it and manage it! If our mind loses its direction towards this TRUTH, everything else will change. Shall one be given a good job of great salary and rewards, one will lose its value. Everything feels ‘as it is, normal, ordinary’. This thing is likely to happen when we lose the spirits of excellence in our jobs. Don’t we wonder why God place ‘temporary possessors or owners’ in our life? Or the things placed and trusted in our life? Hey, why can’t we just work directly for the MASTER? After all, He’s the BOSS. You know what, it’s the great secret that remains a mystery till we see Him face to face. For now, on earth, God totally uses humans to state what He wants and to show His work. And this one fellow, includes the our work place and business. Our MASTER values relationship. He so believes in human that He gives everything He creates to be maintained and managed.2 It all started with Adam and Eve3 and now, it’s our time. He thrusts things and also other humans for us to maintain and manage well. Servant’s way of thinking, fellow! 2. The purpose of management or maintenance is to enable productivity or multiplication.Don’t we all still remember what taught us on relationship? It is said that the quality of one relationship loses its values once mismanaged. The same principle goes for everything we need to manage. The purpose is to create productivity or multiplication. The principle does not only work in business world. God creates the productivity principle. Jesus explains it in the parable of talents.4 In the parable of talents, the master sets different value on each of the servant. The value set is based on the things they have achieved once entrusted to manage the bags of gold. It is clear from the story that the productive servants adds more talents, one of five and the other of two added talents. They are praised as the good and faithful servants and to them be trusted more to manage. Yet, the Master instructed to take away the 1 talent given to the one who chooses not to make use or manage the solely one given talent. .It is very important for us to remember the purpose of one activity. At the time when we get busy at work, working late out nights, we will never be a good worker ‘ever’ if we forget the true purpose. The value of one’s work is always measured by the achievement based on the main purpose or the sole purpose. We should run hard towards our prior target5. We should say “everything God entrusts upon our lives should be managed well, so that everything will be multiplied and productive. So that everything will always be better than the start.” God’s Words references:
1. Ecclesiastes 1: 2,3 ; Ecclesiastes 12: 13
2. Genesis 1: 26-28
3. Genesis 2: 15
4. Matthew 25: 14-30
5. Philippians 3: 13,14