Train for Bigger Stewardship

In the Gospel of the Hebrews, it was said that three men were entrusted with talents: one multiplied his, one hid his, and one wasted his on harlots and flute-girls. Accordingly, one was accepted, one was rebuked, and one was shut up in prison. (Wikipedia) It is vital for man to learn about stewardship and to discipline himself accordingly. He who proves to be an able steward will be accepted into the kingdom of God and restored to his original blessed state. That will include partaking of God’s superabundance, managing it and perpetuating it (Luke 12:42, 16:1).  

²¹ Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness! MATTHEW 25

⁹ You will be welcomed into the eternal dwellings. LUKE 16  

To the poor, God says:

²⁹ Come with us and we will share our prosperity with you. NUMBERS 10 tev

To the rich, God says: “It is not how much wealth you have accumulated that matters, but how you use them. It is not how much food you have on your table, or how appetizing and expensive they are, but how many of the hungry you have fed. It is not how many clothes you have in your closet, or how stylish and comfortable they are, but how many of the naked you have clothed. It is not how many houses you have, or how big and stately they are, but how many of the homeless you have sheltered. It is not how many friends you have, but how you have been a friend to the needy, the sick, the misdirected and lost. It is not how much success you have become in Business, but whether you succeeded in it through righteousness. Success is measured by the number of jobs you have created, and how well you have fathered your employees.”  

¹⁶ Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ Then he said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. ¹⁹ I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ ²¹ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” LUKE 12 nlt

To rich and poor alike, God says:

¹¹ Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations and decrees that I am giving you today. DEUTERONOMY 8 nlt

⁶ Remember [your Creator]—before the silver cord is severed. ⁷ [before your] spirit returns to God who gave it. ECCLESIASTES 12

¹⁰ I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it to the full. JOHN 10

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. JEREMIAH 29

Earthly riches are meaningless unless employed to please God.  

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit… ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. PHILIPPIANS 2

³¹ Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³³ …I [Apostle Paul] try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. ²⁴ Nobody should seek his own good [alone]. 1 CORINTHIANS 10

⁴ I [the Teacher] undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves that were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. ¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless. ECCLESIASTES 2

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. ¹¹ … And what benefit are [riches] to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? ¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet… but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. ECCLESIASTES 5

The employment of earthly riches outside of God’s instructions—multiply your blessings, tithes and offerings, build communities of love—is not only meaningless but also sinful and nonsensical.

²⁶ To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. ECCLESIASTES 2

² God gives [to the sinful] wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. ECCLESIASTES 6

¹² Man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings… ¹⁶ Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases, ¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies. PSALM 49 

¹⁹ Everything made by human hands will decay and perish, along with the person who made it. SIRACH 14

⁷ What did we bring into this world? Nothing! What can we take out of this world? Nothing. 1 TIMOTHY 6 tev

¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. ECCLESIASTES 5

The wise find contentment in stewardship. They emulate the Son of Man who, despite His richness, contented Himself with simple fare and with doing the Divine Will.

⁶ Godliness with contentment is a great gain. 1 TIMOTHY 6

¹² I [the Teacher] know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy in doing good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ECCELESIASTES 3

²³ Be happy with what you have, even if it isn’t very much. SIRACH 29

²⁴ There is nothing wrong with being rich if you haven’t sinned to get that way. But there is nothing sinful about being poor, either. Only the ungodly think so. SIRACH 13

⁹ It is always better to be satisfied with what you have than to always want something else. ECCLESIASTES 6 tev

Y’shua asked His disciples, “Who is poor: he who is contented with the little he has or he who cannot be contented with so much?” (Gospel of Barnabas)

⁸ I ask of you, O Lord… give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread. ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. PROVERBS 30    

In the Gospel of the Hebrews, it was said that three men were entrusted with talents: one multiplied his, one hid his, and one wasted his on harlots and flute-girls. Accordingly, one was accepted, one was rebuked, and one was shut up in prison. (Wikipedia) It is vital for man to learn about stewardship and to discipline himself accordingly. He who proves to be an able steward will be accepted into the kingdom of God and restored to his original blessed state. That will include partaking of God’s superabundance, managing it and perpetuating it (Luke 12:42, 16:1).  

²¹ Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness! MATTHEW 25

⁹ You will be welcomed into the eternal dwellings. LUKE 16  

To the poor, God says:

²⁹ Come with us and we will share our prosperity with you. NUMBERS 10 tev

To the rich, God says: “It is not how much wealth you have accumulated that matters, but how you use them. It is not how much food you have on your table, or how appetizing and expensive they are, but how many of the hungry you have fed. It is not how many clothes you have in your closet, or how stylish and comfortable they are, but how many of the naked you have clothed. It is not how many houses you have, or how big and stately they are, but how many of the homeless you have sheltered. It is not how many friends you have, but how you have been a friend to the needy, the sick, the misdirected and lost. It is not how much success you have become in Business, but whether you succeeded in it through righteousness. Success is measured by the number of jobs you have created, and how well you have fathered your employees.”  

¹⁶ Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ Then he said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. ¹⁹ I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink and be merry!”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ ²¹ Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” LUKE 12 nlt

To rich and poor alike, God says:

¹¹ Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey His commands, regulations and decrees that I am giving you today. DEUTERONOMY 8 nlt

⁶ Remember [your Creator]—before the silver cord is severed. ⁷ [before your] spirit returns to God who gave it. ECCLESIASTES 12

¹⁰ I am come that they might have life, and that they may have it to the full. JOHN 10

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. JEREMIAH 29

Earthly riches are meaningless unless employed to please God.  

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit… ⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. PHILIPPIANS 2

³¹ Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³³ …I [Apostle Paul] try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. ²⁴ Nobody should seek his own good [alone]. 1 CORINTHIANS 10

⁴ I [the Teacher] undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves that were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. ¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless. ECCLESIASTES 2

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. ¹¹ … And what benefit are [riches] to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? ¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet… but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. ECCLESIASTES 5

The employment of earthly riches outside of God’s instructions—multiply your blessings, tithes and offerings, build communities of love—is not only meaningless but also sinful and nonsensical.

²⁶ To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. ECCLESIASTES 2

² God gives [to the sinful] wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. ECCLESIASTES 6

¹² Man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish. ¹³ This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings… ¹⁶ Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases, ¹⁷ for he will take nothing with him when he dies. PSALM 49 

¹⁹ Everything made by human hands will decay and perish, along with the person who made it. SIRACH 14

⁷ What did we bring into this world? Nothing! What can we take out of this world? Nothing. 1 TIMOTHY 6 tev

¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. ECCLESIASTES 5

The wise find contentment in stewardship. They emulate the Son of Man who, despite His richness, contented Himself with simple fare and with doing the Divine Will.

⁶ Godliness with contentment is a great gain. 1 TIMOTHY 6

¹² I [the Teacher] know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy in doing good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. ECCELESIASTES 3

²³ Be happy with what you have, even if it isn’t very much. SIRACH 29

²⁴ There is nothing wrong with being rich if you haven’t sinned to get that way. But there is nothing sinful about being poor, either. Only the ungodly think so. SIRACH 13

⁹ It is always better to be satisfied with what you have than to always want something else. ECCLESIASTES 6 tev

Y’shua asked His disciples, “Who is poor: he who is contented with the little he has or he who cannot be contented with so much?” (Gospel of Barnabas)

⁸ I ask of you, O Lord… give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily bread. ⁹ Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you, and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. PROVERBS 30