A Faithful and Wise Steward

By Samantha Rodriguez

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”—Matthew 24:45–51 (NIV)

Has anyone ever left you in charge of something they own or consider valuable? I think of any time I have ever babysat. People leaving you in charge of caring for their children is a tremendous responsibility! You might have also watched someone's pet or stayed in someone’s house while they were away for a while. We’ve all probably had experiences of taking care of something for someone who entrusted us with it! That’s exactly what we see Jesus talk about in today’s passage.

What do you think of when you hear the word stewardship? It’s one of those words that gets thrown around a lot but not always explained. It can be used in the scenarios described above because it’s all about responsibility for something given to you. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, stewardship is the “careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” Stewardship is essentially taking ownership of something that’s been given to you by someone—so it’s not yours, but it becomes yours because the responsibility to use and care for it is in your hands.

Today’s passage is about how we must steward the time and message Christ has given us while we wait for Him to return! This is the last part of a long chapter about the end times. Jesus has just shared a lot of signs and warnings that involve evil, destruction, and persecution. He gives us hope through the warnings and also a part to play! He reminds us of our responsibility through all of this—to care for all the possessions the master, God, has left with the servant, you and me. What are the possessions though? What are we left with to take care of?

The only specific thing Jesus mentions in His analogy is food. He says the master will put someone “in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time.”

In a spiritual sense, food is the Word of God and the gospel! This is what we must be giving to other people while on earth. As we wait for the second coming of Christ, we must be faithful stewards by intentionally sharing the gospel with others in word and deed! How we treat others and verbally share God’s truth with others matters.

In a physical sense, food can be taken literally as well! In the next chapter, Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:35–36 NIV).

As we continue living on earth in this in-between, we must remember we aren’t left without hope or instruction. Jesus has given us the honor of being part of His work, so let’s be good stewards of all He’s entrusted to us. From the truth of the Bible to the material blessings, to the relationships and people around you, honor them as the gifts from God that they are!

Pause: What has God given you that you should be a good steward of?

Practice: Write a list of the things in your life you want to steward well for God. Next to each one, write how you can better steward that this week.

Pray: Father, You are a good gift giver. You have given us the greatest gift in Jesus—the gift of redemption and restoration! I want to steward this gift well by having a real relationship with You and sharing about You with the people around me. Open my eyes to see how I can obey You by investing in both the spiritual and physical needs of others! I want to be a good steward of all You’ve given me. Amen.