How to become a diligent steward

To God has called us to be stewards of what He has created and entrusted to us. Psalm 24 tells us that the world and the fullness thereof belongs to God which means we are not owners of what we have be it work or worldly goods. We are just custodians and if custodians then the owner (God) will require of us to give AN accounting of our stewardship. It is Gods call to us. Jesus in His teachings spoke about stewardship.

First we should understand the meaning of the words steward and diligent. According to a variety of dictionaries to diligent is to be hardworking, consistent, conscientious, to carry out duties with care and perseverance or to quietly and steadily persevere especially paying attention to detail or exactness. It suggests patience and endurance in trying circumstances with and even temper. Diligence is characterised by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks or duties, actively and fully engaged or occupied and exercising caution. It is constant effort to achieve something of value. It is to be thorough. To do with persevering attention and to be painstaking.

A steward is one who is given responsibility over anothers household and servants or one who is given custodianship over property that belongs to another. One who manages and is in charge of anothers estate or household. It is an official who supervises or helps to manage an estate. A person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary. A person who administers the property, house, finances, etc., of another. Therefore a diligent steward is one who painstakingly, carefully, persistently, patiently manage anothers property in trust paying attention to detail and exactness.

In Matthew 25 from verse 21 Jesus shows what is expected of a steward in the parable of the talents. The master left no instructions, simply expecting them to use those talents wisely. Upon his return he discovered that the man who was given 5 talents had doubled them to ten. The man who was given 2 talents had also doubled them to four and the one who was given one did not use it to multiply. This shows us that we are to use wisdom to be able to please our master.

A steward takes stock to know the details of what is it that is entrusted to them ie to know the value of monetary and otherwise and they are diligent to know how to protect it and how to use it to improve or increase the value thereof. God has given us stewardship of talents, jobs, family, property both our own and other peoples and we must like the first two stewards be responsible and increase. We must take stock to know what is required of us in our stewardship and take responsibility and not blame others or spiritual forces or any other thing for our failings as the steward who was given the one talent did. We must realise that God only requires us to work with that which is given to us and in the time frame given for to the stewards who multiplied their talents the master complemented them. In Proverbs 27:23. Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds. Therefore a diligent steward knows what he has and its condition and how to use it wisely. James 1 vs 5 says if any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of the Lord who gives liberally without rebuke. We have to ask God for the wisdom to manage and account for that which we are stewards over.

In our personal lives we must take care to know our financial situation and not spend more than we have and hence be in debt burdens as this would impact our physical health, our work, our families and hinder us in achieving diligent stewardship in other areas of our lives. We must take stock to not spend that which does not belong to us. A good and diligent steward seeks to increase their knowledge in financial areas. They study to show themselves a workman pleasing to the Lord. Hosea 6 vs 4 says My people perish because of lack of knowledge. Proverbs tells us that a good man leaves an inheritance for his childrens children. He/she is not selfish and lays up wealth for the next generation.

We have to know that an accounting for our stewardship will be required and that there are consequences to poor stewardship as the Lord tells us in Luke 16. We have to be good stewards of our time. We have to invest our time wisely in studies, at work not stealing time from the employer during working hours by pursuing other activities that are not beneficial to the employer. A diligent steward does not steal from his employer neither does he overlook when others seek to steal from his employer. He maximises opportunities presented to him/her to add or increase to that which he/she is given responsibility over.

We also must know that there are rewards to good stewardship as for the two faithful stewards in Matthew 25 were given more to manage ie from managing talents to managing cities. It is good to know you are trusted and are given more responsibility.

In our relationship with others we are stewards. We should keep appointments and meet commitments made to others so we must take stock to know what we have committed ourselves to do and then do it with diligence. We must not bear grudges neither should we neglect friends and family. We must show respect to bosses and those in leadership over us as they are custodians over us and must take care not make their stewardship over us burdensome.

A good steward seeks to represent and not to replace. This has rewards as we see in the examples of David who always sort to represent Saul and God rewarded him with the kingship but his son Absalom sort to replace him and he was killed.

A diligent steward is always conscious of what he is steward over to whom it belongs and to whom he must give accountability.

We must take stock of how we take care of ourselves spirit soul and body for the bible tells us in Corinthians that our bodies are the temple of God the Holy Spirit dwells in us. Therefore we must know our spiritual condition, stay in health, balance our work life situation such that we have time to feed our spiritual man and be in right standing with God. We should take care of our physical bodies (the temple of God) be well fed, clothed and stay away from sin. Our thoughts must be pleasing to God. The bible tells us that God keeps him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Him. We must be focused in our prayer life and feed our souls with the word of God diligently reading and studying the word of God. When we stay in good health then we can be good stewards of our families, jobs and talents. We would not spend too much time being off sick or being traumatised by the cares of this world. Good stewardship of our body, soul and spirit takes work but its definitely worth it! The blessing of being intimate with God, in a positive frame of thinking and with health and life in our physical bodies cannot be priced

In our work we must know that if the world, its fullness and they that dwell in it are Gods then ultimately we work for God and He sees all we do and hears all we say therefore He is aware that we are being good or poor stewards and we should also keep in mind that promotion comes from God and not from the east or from the west.

A diligent steward knows the heart or mind of his master and knows how to encourage or impart this to other servants under him. He is not after his own agenda but the desire of his master is foremost in his mind. He constantly checks what is it that my master aims to achieve and how do I go about it, who best in my team can achieve certain tasks well. He pursues his masters desire with passion and zeal without compromise.

A diligent steward knows whatever is given to him is seed which must be nurtured over time and that time in the season is limited and therefore they can not afford to dilly dally but need to sow the seed, nurture it within its season for them to have a harvest.

In conclusion a good steward knows exactly what is entrusted to him and what he should do nurture and protect so that it proliferates. They know who is the owner and what does he require of them and what are the expectations.

Bibiliography http://mywisesteward.blogspot.com/ http://www.biblestudents.com/htdbv5/r5385.htm http://www.thefreedictionary.com/diligent http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/diligent http://www.biblestudents.com/htdbv5/r5385.htm