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 apostle Paul wanted to educate the Corinthians concerning the deeper things of God; however, he was unable to do so because of their inability to grasp such spiritual truths (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). These believers displayed a carnality like none other found within the scriptures. As a result of their carnality, they also exhibited envy, strife, and divisions (1 Corinthians 3:3). As their boasting concerning the individuals they chose to follow escalated, the divisiveness also increased. Some of them boasted of following Paul, while others boasted of following Apollos (1 Corinthians 3:4). They were full of pride and Paul had to enlighten them concerning the foolishness of this strife. The strife birthed from pride yielded a foolish behaviour. Strife was all the evidence Paul needed to rebuke these believers concerning their carnality.
