The Call to Be Faithful Stewards
by: Anne Coleman Hufham
July 2, 2024
“To whom much is given, much will be required ”
I have been reading a book called The Final Quest by Rick Joyner. It has convicted and challenged me in so many ways. In his book, Joyner describes standing with our Lord in the Great Hall of Witnesses. Jesus brings him to meet a man who had been given great honor in Heaven. Joyner immediately recognizes him from his life on earth. He had been given a vision once of two men. The first man was zealously serving the Lord, continually witnessing to people, teaching the Bible, and visiting the sick to pray for them. Then he saw another man, named Angelo, who was homeless. When a small kitten wandered into his path, he started to kick it but restrained himself, though he still shoved it away harshly with his foot. The Lord asked Rick which of these men pleased Him the most. “The first,” Rick said without hesitating. “No, the second,” Jesus replied.
Jesus shared that the first man had been raised in a wonderful family, which had always known the Lord. He grew up in a thriving church and then attended one of the best Bible colleges in the country. He had been given one hundred portions of the Father’s love, but he was only using seventy-five.
Angelo was born deaf, abused as a child, and locked in an attic until someone found him. He was passed around institutions until he was turned out to the streets. The Lord had only given him three portions of His love to overcome all of this, and he had mustered up every bit of it to fight the rage in his heart and keep from hurting the kitten.
Angelo was faithful with the little the Lord had given him, so the Lord gave him three more portions of His love. He used all of that to quit stealing. He almost starved, but refused to take anything that wasn't his, so he started collecting bottles and would occasionally find people who would let him do yard work. He couldn’t hear, but he taught himself how to read, and the Lord sent him a Gospel tract. As he read it, the Spirit opened his heart, and he gave his life to Jesus. The Lord then doubled his portions of His love to him and he faithfully used all of them. He wanted to share the Lord with others, but could not speak, so he spent more than half of everything he made on gospel tracts to give out on street corners.
“How many did Angelo lead to you?” Joyner asks the Lord. “One,” the Lord answered. “In order to encourage him, I let him lead a dying alcoholic to Me. It encouraged him so much that he would have stood on that street corner for many more years just to bring another soul to repentance, but all of Heaven was entreating Me to bring him here quickly, and I, too, wanted him to receive his reward.”
This story was very convicting for me for many reasons. Joyner starts to feel guilty about his possessions on earth, and the Lord lovingly reminds him that He delights in giving His children good gifts. Nevertheless, we must never worship them, and we must freely share them when He calls us to.
“To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48) is a verse that comes to mind after reading these passages. Not only financially, but physically, relationally, geographically, the list goes on and on.
If you can run and dance - use your body to glorify God! If you have a home, are you willing to open it up to be a safe place for people to rest and be fed? Angelo, given a cardboard box on a cold night, would so appreciate it that he would turn it into a glorious temple of God’s presence.
Do you steward your time effectively for the Kingdom of God? That one is a big one for me. I tend to be more introverted and have always believed I NEED time to be alone to feel refreshed - but by the grace of God, He has stretched me and given me His grace to expand my limited capacities. Through Him, I can step out of myself and my selfishness and meet with those who need encouragement and hope.
Have you been blessed with children? A spouse? Siblings? The Lord puts people in our lives for a reason, and yes He uses them to bless us, sharpen us, and speak into our lives, but have you been a faithful steward of their hearts, allowing God to speak to them through you and to show them His unconditional love for them?
Have you been entrusted with much financially? In The Final Quest, Joyner says, “often what makes men kings on earth is the greatest stumbling block to being kings in Heaven.” We are simply stewards of the things given to us on earth. We must stay sensitive to His voice to be ready and quick to give, open up our homes, go meet with this person, and to be faithful with whom and what He has put in our lives. I cannot imagine the joy that is experienced when hearing the Lord say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Worship
Prayer for Today
Lord, I repent for the times I have not stewarded well what you have entrusted to me. There is nothing greater than being your servant, and you are the best Master. Holy Spirit, open my eyes to the areas in my life I have not completely yielded to You. I open up my heart to receive your judgments. I surrender my body, my time, my possessions, my home, and my finances to you right now in Jesus’ name. All that I have has always been Yours, and I am simply a steward. Show me how to love those around me, quicken my heart to give, and open up our home to bless those in need. Thank you for all of the ways you have provided for me and my family. Thank you most of all for your Son Jesus - in whom are all the treasures of Heaven. Thank you for the gift of Eternal Life. Please give me eyes to see everything through the lens of Eternity! Amen.
Further Study
Read through the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30
Related Posts
To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.