God is particularly interested in what is going on within the heart of man. Specifically, He seeks for, and desires to find, TRUTH.
God has a calling on each man’s life. Furthermore, He enables men to fulfill their appointed work. Man, however, must be strong and DO the work.
The word religion has a bad reputation. Truly, religion that offers no change of heart is bad, but there is religion that changes a man’s heart before God.
Death is the departure of the soul and spirit from the body, but where does each part of man end up after a man dies? The Bible answers this question and more.
Learning how to be the right kind of steward can seem difficult, but never without reward. The Lord Jesus taught and explained His parables of stewardship. In these teachings, He presented the faithful steward receiving his reward at the time of accounting for his stewardship. The apostle Paul confessed this truth in 1 Corinthians 9:17 when he said, “if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward.” Paul knew God had a special calling upon his life and also knew he would stand before God to give account for his service. In like manner, each believer will one day stand before the Master (Jesus Christ) to give an account of his stewardship. Those who have served as good stewards will receive reward, while those who failed to do so will suffer loss (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
The steward is not distinguished for his own possessions but, rather, for the care of another’s possessions. This is true of the life and ministry of every believer. He has been purchased by the blood of Christ and claims nothing as his own. If he has a family, his family is a blessing from God still belonging to God. If he has any ministries, they too belong to God. Even his own spirit, soul, and body belong to the Lord and not to himself (1 Corinthians 6:20). Understanding these truths makes a steward prosper in his walk with the Lord and in his service to the Lord. He recognizes and accepts that life is not all about him. He knows that every aspect of life should revolve around caring for each of the possessions of his heavenly Master.
Basically, a steward is one who oversees someone else’s possessions. The scripture shows stewards overseeing the substance and possession of the king (1 Chronicles 28:1) or administering the oversight of labourers within a vineyard (Matthew 20:8). The life of a steward was devoted to his master’s needs, wants, and demands. The job description was broad and comprehensive. Eliezer, Abraham’s steward (Genesis 15:2), ruled over all that Abraham had (Genesis 24:2) but also went forth to find a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac (Genesis 24:9). The master’s needs became the responsibilities of the steward. Simply put, the steward was responsible for what the master had placed under his care and supervision.
Only a foolish man thinks he can hide anything from the Lord. This includes his thought life. The Lord knows all man’s thoughts (1 Chronicles 28:9) which includes the good (Malachi 3:16) and the bad (Psalm 94:11). David expressed this truth to the Lord when he said, “Thou knowest . . . my thought afar off. . . . For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether” (Psalm 139:2-4). The Lord Jesus Christ often exhibited this capability during His earthly ministry (Matthew 12:25; Luke 5:22; Luke 6:8; Luke 9:47; Luke 11:17). Even the written word of God reveals this ability by being “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
God designed and willed for the Christian home and the local body of believers to function as two of the closest experiences to heaven on this side of eternity. As believers, we ought to love one another (John 13:34-35) and serve one another by that love (Galatians 5:13). Rather than backbiting and devouring each other (Galatians 5:15), believers ought to give themselves to ministering to each other. In Paul’s epistle to the Corinthian believers, God led Paul to mention a family addicted to the ministry. At some point, this family decided to sacrifice their own gain for the sake of ministering to others. Because of this commitment, the Bible says that Stephanas refreshed the spirit of other believers.
Every devoted believer treasures the thought that one day God would say to him, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Abraham was such a man who exhibited faithfulness. In fact, it was God who commended Abraham for his faithful life though living in a very wicked world. The Lord came to visit Abraham in the plains of Mamre while on His way to bring judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah. As the visit was coming to an end, the Lord remained with Abraham as the two angels went to Sodom. Interestingly, the Bible reveals the mind of the Lord as He contemplated whether or not to tell Abraham about the judgment coming to Sodom. Why would the Lord sense the need to tell Abraham? The Bible provides insight in the words of the Lord when He said, “I know him.” God told Abraham because Abraham showed himself faithful (Amos 3:7).
