THE GOOD STEWARD

How many times have you tossed something away that is of great value? Perhaps a pair of shoes that you purchased and you decided later that it is not your taste. Out they go into the waste basket. We all have tossed away food, collectibles, and clothing items, that have become meaningless to us at one time or another. We, as the body of Christ, for once, have to learn to be cognizant of tossing valuable things away, especially edibles that are in good and can be preserved and given to the needy or the poor. It is vital that we must waste not for if the needy, the poor, or the brethren have a desire for help and we cannot help them because of our lavish living and habits, then we will be accountable for the lack of their needs not being met to God in heaven.

You say, “I give my tithes and offerings to the local church, and I give to outreach and charities. I believe I am in good standing.” Yes, beloved, this is a good deed and your tithes and your offerings are blessed forevermore. But if the poor, or the needy, or the brethren come to you spontaneously asking for help and you deny them because you have splurged on extravagant substances, how are able to help them? If your other funds are invested in your household savings, then where is the sum for the poor, needy, or brethren? We, as the body of Christ, should always have funds to lend to God. God is in heaven, he is not on Earth. God, through his Holy Spirit, moves through us to be a very refuge and strength to the poor, needy, and brethren. Our heavenly Father is always looking for an avenue to help and bless those who have a lack. Yes, beloved, giving to charities and organizations is good, but you will never know if God had strategically planted someone in your life just to see if you will help them.

Mr. Davis lost all of his fortune, and his home, substances, and his family because of his persistent hardships. Mr. Davis wasn’t able to recover because of the inflation and the unwanted attack on his mental ability to regain all of his loss. Mr. Davis is homeless and is forced to street living in order to survive. A stranger, who is a Christian, walks by and looks at Mr. Davis, and he clearly sees that Mr. Davis is destitute and poor. The Christian stranger tips his hat and says to Mr. Davis, “God bless you and have a good day” and continued to cross the street with an assurance that he, indeed, has done good works. However, although the Christian stranger blessed Mr. Davis with his mouth, he failed, with his hands, to do the works of righteousness by giving Mr. Davis a good meal and decent clothing. What is it, beloved, to open your mouth and bless the poor and not help them when there is a need, with your substance? We all must be so mindful in helping the poor, the needy, or the brethren.

It is a good thing to always put away some funds for the poor, the needy, or the brethren. You will never know if our heavenly Father will need a loan from you. You say, “The Almighty God needs a loan from me?” Yes, beloved, there is no money in heaven. The substance of money is on Earth. God has given it to us because in his word he says, money answers all matters. Therefore, money has to be earned and its reward is our wages. God will oftentimes test our righteousness. God in heaven searches the reins of the heart of the righteous. Our heavenly Father will oftentimes put people in our lives just to see if we will help the poor, the needy, and the brethren, and many times they are angels. Therefore, we must be mindful of entertaining them unaware, according to God’s word. King David made it a practice to set aside funds (silver and gold) for God in heaven for whenever God would ask him to do something David was able to do it. God expected David to have funds to meet his request. It is the same with us. God always gives us grace to do his will. We have to take the step of faith and do it.

God makes it very vivid, beloved, if the poor or the needy or the brethren cry out to him because the saints (the body of Christ) have not helped them, as in the Christian stranger, God said that this is not good. We must always open our hands wide and give to the poor. Not barely opening our hands, open wide, he says, and give to the poor. We all must take heed and save some of our funds and resources for the kingdom of God. Beloved, if you are more conscious and aware of your spending and try not to waste anything, you would be surprised at how much you can save. How many times have you gone shopping for clothing, shoes, furniture, video games, and lavish vacations and extreme sporting events? How many times have you splurged on something extremely grandiose and after a few days you grow tiresome and weary of your purchase? This can be extra funds set aside for God to bless his precious people who have a lack in the world.

Wasting substance or funds is not being a good steward with what God has entrusted us. A good steward covers a broad scope of a multitude of different avenues to be a blessing to God’s people. We often think of stewardship and money as being responsible for what God has given us for our lives. Yes, this is true. However, a good steward is wise, not only in their lives but others. Again, God says, if you loan to him to help the poor, he will pay you back. If you give to the poor, God will give it back to you, he promised! He promised!

Therefore, let all of us walk circumspectly with what God has entrusted us with. What an honor it is for our heavenly Father to entrust us, we the saints of the most-high God, to be a distributor and a blessing to his people. We know that everyone does not have the means or funds to help others, but those who can, by all means, please do what you were created to do, helping the poor, needy, or brethren. Stewardship is an amazing honor to be entrusted by God to help the poor. A steward is a person who is responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other institutions. The church of God is a very large institution and it has withstood the test of all times.

Men and women of God: God is entrusting you to be good stewards of the gospel and a good steward to his people’s needs. Children of God: who God has entrusted to be blessed in the land of the living, God has entrusted you to help those who have a lack or a need. You can do it! We can do it! It is our destiny! It burns in our hearts, it is in our souls, to only do what God has created us to do. The most momentous event in our lives and our greatest satisfaction truly only comes when we help the poor, then will our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Amen.

“If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth” (DEUTERONOMY 15:7-8).

“ Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance. Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house” (I CHRONICLES 29: 1-3).

“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (PROVERBS 19:17).

“ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (JAMES 2:15-16)

“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (I PETER 4:10).

“His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (MATTHEW 25:23).

All the Glory Be To God,

Reverend Helen Trower