Today man in all his complexity, with his theological
institutions, and his seemingly vast knowledge and learning, has
somehow overlooked the simplicity of God's Word and His simplistic
way of life that He intended for man to live.  One of the areas
most overlooked in the church systems today is God's stewardship. 
All who profess they are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ agree
with David, the Psalmist, when he wrote,

     "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof;  the
     world, and they that dwell therein."  *** Psalm 24:1

     Many confess with their mouths that all belongs to the Lord,
but their actions prove that they believe all things are in the
hands of man.  If, as the Word proclaims, all things belong to the
Lord, then we are only stewards of His vast creation.  This was
God's original design for His whole creation.  If we are to
understand and operate in stewardship principles it is necessary to
Look again at the creation.

     "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
     likeness:  and let them have dominion over the fish of
     the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
     cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
     thing that creepeth upon the earth."  *** Genesis 1:26

     God created man in His image and likeness and gave them
dominion over all His creation.  He gave Adam the privilege of
naming everything that He created.  He did not turn the creation
over to Adam, but rather made him a steward of His creation.

     "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the
     garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."  *** Genesis
     2:15

     Adam was to dress the garden.  The word for dress is SHAMAR
and means "to exert extreme care over".  Adam was the caretaker,
overseer and steward of God's creation.  It was God's intent that
man become the steward over His creation from the beginning.

     There are 4 areas God has given man in stewardship:

     # 1  His  creation
     # 2  Finances
     # 3  His  Spirit
     # 4  His  life

     Stewardship is God's most sacred trust, yet little, if
anything, is taught in the modern church on stewardship.  Paul
wrote,

     "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
     faithful."  *** I Corinthians 4:2

     The word faithful is the Greek word PISTOS and means "trusted,
reliable, to show yourself faithful in the transaction of business; 
to execute commands;  and the discharge of official duties". 
Stewards are set over the business of God's kingdom.

     Most will proclaim, "We are going to rule and reign with
Christ for 1000 years".  Yet they are not faithful in that which
God has given them to do in this hour.  Neither are many seeking
God in the operation of their financial affairs.  James wrote,

     "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
     may consume it upon your lusts."

     Stewards take care of that which belongs to someone else. 
Today many of God's stewards are consuming that which God has
entrusted into their hands upon their own lusts, and because of
this many of God's stewards are in financial trouble.  God cannot
entrust them with more than their needs because when He gives them
more, they increase their lifestyle to consume the extra He has
entrusted them with. 

     When the Publicans and sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him,
He spoke many things, and He is speaking many things today to those
who are not faithful in unrighteous mammon.

     "If therefore ye have not been faithful in the
     unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the
     true riches?

     And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another
     man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"  ***
     Luke 16:11-12

     God is not going to trust His true riches to those who have
not been faithful in unrighteous mammon (the wealth of the world). 
Jesus asked the question, "Who shall give you that which is your
own (inheritance), if you have not been faithful in that which is
another man's."

     All we now have belongs to Christ and we must learn to
function as stewards over that which is His.  God's promises state
that we will become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, ***
Romans 8:17.  There is an inheritance coming where God will again
set man over all He has created, as He did Adam.  Only those tried
and true stewards who have been found faithful in unrighteous
mammon will become part of that ruling and reigning group that will
be set over the works of God's hands.  When Jesus was speaking to
the multitude, Peter asked, 

     "Speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?" 
     *** Luke 12:41

     Jesus answered,

     "...Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his
     lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them
     their portion of meat in due season?

     Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh
     shall find so doing.

     Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler
     over all that he hath."  *** Luke 12:42-44

     Jesus answered Peter's question with a question.  Jesus asked,
"Who is that faithful and wise steward whom the Lord shall make
ruler over His household to give them their portion in due season?" 
Jesus' answer was, "Those, when He cometh, He shall find do doing." 
We need to become faithful and wise stewards who are already
operating our lives and finances by and through His Spirit.  We
need to live our lives by the example He left that we should
follow, *** I Peter 2:21.

     These faithful and wise stewards who will be set over His
house will have already learned the lesson of being a faithful and
wise steward over that which He has given them to take care of for
Him.  These will receive their portion (inheritance) in due season
when the fullness of time has come.

     Jesus spoke about stewardship in His parable of the talents
and pounds.  In both these accounts, He speaks of a man who went
into a far country to receive himself a kingdom and return.  This
speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ who left His earthly existence to
return again to receive His kingdom unto Himself.  In Luke's
account,

     "...he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten
     pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come."  ***
     Luke 19:13

     In Matthew's account the Master related,

     "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and
     to another one;  to every man according to his several
     ability;  and straightway took his journey."  *** Matthew
     25:15

     In both these accounts the faithful and wise steward had a
manifold increase in what he had been entrusted with.  The second
steward also had an increase.  But in both accounts, the unjust
steward, who had wasted his time and had been slothful in his
stewardship, was stripped of the talent that had been entrusted to
him.

     "But he that had received one went and digged in the
     earth, and hid his lord's money."  *** Matthew 25:18

     The unjust steward had buried the Lord's money in his earth,
consuming it upon his own lusts.  He never learned the lesson of
stewardship.  When the unjust steward stood before the Lord what
could he say?

     "And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the
     earth:  lo, there thou hast that is thine.

     His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and
     slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed
     not, and gather where I have not strawed:"  *** Matthew
     25:25-26

     Our Lord admonished this unjust steward as being wicked and
slothful, and dealt harshly with him.

     "Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him
     which hath ten talents."

     First, the unjust steward was stripped of what God had
entrusted him with;  and secondly, his talent was given to the
faithful steward who had been most successful with what he had been
entrusted with.

     "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he
     shall have abundance:  but from him that hath not shall
     be taken away even that which he hath."  *** Matthew
     25:29

     Jesus went on to relate that those who have been faithful with
what they have been entrusted with shall have abundance.  But the
wicked, unjust, slothful servant will have all that he had, taken
away.

     "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
     darkness:  there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 
     *** Matthew 25:30

     Those who have not learned the lesson of stewardship will be
cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God where there will
be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

     The faithful stewards were granted God's reward.  Luke
relates,

     "Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained
     ten pounds.

     And he said unto him, Well done, thou good servant: 
     because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have
     thou authority over ten cities."  *** Luke 19:16-17

     God made the faithful and wise steward to be ruler over ten
cities.  Those who are faithful, trusted and reliable in the
ministry that God has given them in this hour will be made rulers
and reigners in the kingdom of God.  

     Matthew relates the faithful steward's reward,

     "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 the lord."  *** Matthew 25:23

     The faithful and wise stewards who are faithful over a few
things in this time will be made rulers over many  things in the
Kingdom of God.  It is God's sovereign plan to re-establish those
faithful and wise stewards over all the works of His hands, as it
was in the garden when God gave spoke face to face with His
creation man.

     "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be
     fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
     subdue it:  and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
     and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
     that moveth upon the earth."  *** Genesis 1:28

     God told man to subdue the earth and bring it under his
dominion, or under his authority.  God has not changed his mind,
nor has He withdrawn His promise that the meek (lowly and humble)
shall inherit the earth.  Adam and Eve were given dominion, but
they, too, were unjust stewards, and they, too, were rejected of
God, and their dominion taken away.  

     Jesus gave an example of the unjust steward when He was
speaking to His disciples,

     "And He said also unto His disciples, There was a certain
     rich man, which had a steward;  and the same was accused
     unto him that he had wasted his goods."  *** Luke 16:1

     That rich man is God Himself.  And there are many today who
are wasting His goods.  God related to Israel while they were still
in the wilderness,

     "But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God:  for it is He
     that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may
     establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers,
     as it is this day."  *** Deuteronomy 8:18

     It is in the Lord's power that we obtain wealth.  And there is
only one reason that the Lord gives us wealth, and that is to
establish His covenant.   All that we have belongs to that rich
man, the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Jesus related to His disciples that the unjust steward was
accused of wasting his goods or substance:

     "Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? 
     For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship:  I
     cannot dig;  to beg I am ashamed."  *** Luke 16:3

     This steward began to be convicted of the wrong that he had
done.  He never tried to defend his miss-handling of the rich man's
affairs.  He knew he was guilty.  He stated, "I cannot dig".  This
steward was unwilling or unable to do manual labor.  He then
stated, "To beg I am ashamed."  This servant was ashamed to beg. 
Unfortunately today those who have violated God's stewardship are
not to proud to beg.  The church and the many big and small
ministries exist because they have become professional beggars or
con-artists.  Peter, who was awarded the keys to the Kingdom by
Jesus because he had heard the Father's voice, wrote:

     "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words
     make merchandise of you:  whose judgment now of a long
     time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." 
     *** II Peter 2:3

     These beggars and con-artists have made merchandise of God's
people.  God's hand of judgment is on these wicked, unjust
stewards, and these ministries are going to come to naught.  

     The unjust steward in Luke began to reason in himself:

     "I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the
     stewardship, they may receive me into their houses."  ***
     Luke 16:4

     Being rejected of God, the unjust servant determined to become
a friend of the world and the worldly system.  He called all his
lord's creditors and told them to reduce their obligations to his
master.

     "And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he
     had done wisely:  for the children of this world are in
     their generation wiser than the children of light."  ***
     Luke 16:8

     The unjust servant was commended for making friends with the
world.  His evil, wicked heart had alienated him from God, so he
needed to make friends with the world, because he no longer had the
hope of stewardship in God's kingdom.

     If we are going to operate our lives and finances by the way
of the world, then we, too, will be rejected and set out of God's
stewardship.  We will have no part of the Kingdom of God or the
body of Christ.  If this be the case, than those unfaithful, unwise
stewards will need their fellowship with the world.  God's unjust
stewards need to return to the Lord in true repentance

     "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the
     mammon of unrighteousness;  that, when ye fail, they may
     receive you into everlasting habitations."  *** Luke 16:9

     The unjust stewards will lose their inheritance in God's
kingdom, and remain in the world settling for an everlasting
habitation with those who have trusted in the mammon (money) of
unrighteousness.  James wrote,

     "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
     friendship of the world is enmity with God?  whosoever
     therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
     God."  *** James 4:4

     Those who have become friends with the world have become God's
enemy.  Jesus went on to explain,

     "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful
     also in much:  and he that is unjust in the least is
     unjust also in much."  *** Luke 16:10

     God's principle of sowing and reaping prevails in our
stewardship.  If we are faithful in the little things, we will be
faithful in the big things, but if we are unfaithful in the little
things, we will also be unfaithful in all the important things that
lead to life eternal.  

     JOSEPH

     God has given us many examples of Godly stewardship in His
Word.  Joseph was a man whom God used mightily in stewardship. 
When Joseph was seventeen, he was feeding his Father's flock with
his half-brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.  Joseph brought
back an evil report to his Father about the actions of his
brothers, *** Genesis 37:2.  

     God was beginning to establish the way of righteousness in
Joseph's life:

     "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children,
     because he was the son of his old age:  and he made him
     a coat of many colours."  *** Genesis 37:3

     Israel (Jacob) gave Joseph a coat of many colors.  The coat of
many colors was a sign of virginity and purity.  It is recorded in
II Samuel, speaking of Tamar, David's daughter,

     "And she had a garment of divers colours upon her:  for
     with such robes were the king's daughters that were
     virgins apparelled."  *** II Samuel 13:18

     The way of righteousness was becoming evident in Joseph's
life.     The coat of many colors was not only a sign of virginity,
it was also a signification of priesthood.  Israel (Jacob) bestowed
this priestly robe upon Joseph, establishing the stewardship of
God's covenant in Joseph's life.

     God began to give Joseph dreams, first the dream of the
sheaves, and secondly, the dream of the sun and the moon.  In both
dreams the sheaves, and the sun and moon bowed before Joseph. 
Through this dream, God was establishing His vision for Israel's
future in Joseph's life.  It is very necessary that God's vision be
established in God's stewards.  Solomon wrote:

     "Where there is no vision, the people perish:"  ***
     Proverbs 29:18

     God's stewards must have a vision of the body of Christ
established in their lives.  God's stewards will constantly be
seeking God for direction and guidance in every area of their
lives.  Without God's vision, direction and guidance in Joseph's
life, Joseph would not have succeeded in what God had called him to
do.  

     Joseph's half brothers were convicted by Joseph's Godly
influence in their lives.  Their conviction turned to hatred and
they began to devise an evil plan to rid themselves of his
righteous way of life:

     "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his
     brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his
     coat of many colours that was on him;"  *** Genesis 37:23

     When men desire to go their own way and do their own thing,
the first thing they want to do is to strip all priesthood
authority and remove the blameless, spotless righteous influence in
their lives.  They will devise any way possible to separate
themselves from all righteous examples that might bring conviction
in their godless lives.

     Joseph's ten brothers conspired to rid themselves of the
presence of Joseph.  First they conspired to kill him, but they
instead sold him to the Ishmaelite merchants which took him to
Egypt.

     "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt;  and Potiphar, an
     officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian,
     bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had
     brought him down thither."  *** Genesis 39:1

     Joseph was sold to Potiphar.  Potiphar was an high-ranking
officer in the Pharaoh's government, the captain of Pharaoh's
guard.

     "And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous
     man;  and he was in the house of his master the
     Egyptian."  *** Genesis 39:2

     Because the way of righteousness was established in Joseph's
life, everything he did God prospered.

     "And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that
     the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

     And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: 
     and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he
     had he put into his hand."  *** Genesis 39:3-4

     Joseph was made overseer over all that Potiphar had.  He
became steward of Potiphar's house because he was faithful and
honest in all his dealings.  Even though he was a slave in this
Egyptian's house,  God blessed every business dealing that Joseph
executed for the Egyptian.  He blessed him in his house and in the
field, *** Genesis 39:5.

     Then came Joseph's time of testing in his stewardship, for God
was preparing Joseph for greater things.  Potiphar's wife tried to
seduce Joseph into an adulterous affair.  Joseph's reply was:

     "There is none greater in this house than I;  neither
     hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because
     thou art his wife:  how then can I do this great
     wickedness, and sin against God."  *** Genesis 39:9

     Joseph not only knew his position, he knew his place, and he
knew that if he had succumbed to this temptation, it would be a sin
against his God , whether Potiphar found out or not.  This would
bring Joseph's way of righteousness into sin against his God.

     Being rejected, Potiphar's wife used Joseph's garment that he
had left behind when he fled, to accuse him of trying to force her
to lie with her.  Angered, Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison. 
This may have seemed as an unjust, unfair act, but God was
continuing to prepare Joseph for a greater task of stewardship.

     "But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and
     gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the
     prison."  *** Genesis 39:21

     Sometimes when we are in our lowest times, it would appear
that God has forsaken us.  We begin to accuse God of forsaking us. 
At these times we need to remember Joseph, this righteous, innocent
man being thrown into prison;  seemingly forgotten about by his
family and rejected by those he was faithful to.

     "And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand
     all the prisoners that were in the prison;  and
     whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.

     The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was
     under his hand;  because the Lord was with him, and that
     which he did, the Lord made it to prosper."  *** Genesis
     39:23-23

     Once God's stewardship has been established in our lives, then
no matter the situation, God will prosper it.  It may seem at times
all is lost, but God is preparing His stewards for His eternal
purpose in the earth.

     Two of Pharaoh's servants were thrown into prison:  his butler
and his baker.  Both men dreamed dreams of which Joseph interpreted
for them.  The butler was restored unto his position in the palace;
and the baker was hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted their
dreams.  After three days, the butler was standing in the presence
of Pharaoh:

     "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat
     him."  *** Genesis 40:23

     Again rejected and forgotten, Joseph remained faithful in his
stewardship.  Two years after the butler was restored to his
position in Pharaoh's court, Pharaoh began to have dreams.  The
dreams troubled Pharaoh.  After all the magicians failed to
interpret his dreams, the butler remembered Joseph.  

     The time had come for God to use Joseph in the position which
He had prepared him for all those years.  God had established the
way of righteousness and true holiness in Joseph's life.  God was
about to use Joseph in a mighty way.  Joseph was brought out of
prison.  All the bondages that men had put on him were removed.  He
was shaven and given a change of clothes and brought to stand
before the King.  What a picture of God's faithful, wise,
trustworthy stewards who He is raising up in the earth today.

     Pharaoh related his dreams to Joseph.  Joseph interpreted
Pharaoh's dreams, how there would be seven years of plenty and
seven years of draught and that great famine would come upon Egypt. 
Joseph's word of wisdom to Pharaoh was:

     "Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and
     wise, and set him over the land of Egypt."  *** Genesis
     41:33

     This man would take one/fifth of all that was produced in
Egypt in the seven plenteous years and build storehouses in every
city to provide for Egypt and all the world during the seven years
of draught and famine.

     "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a
     one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?"

     The whole earth is looking for the man in whom the Spirit of
God is working;  the man who has developed the ability to hear the
Father's voice;  one who has become faithful in all that God has
given him to do;  and one who ministers with a pure heart and not
for unrighteous mammon or filthy lucre.

     God had been preparing Joseph all his life for this moment. 
Joseph had been a faithful and wise steward in his father's house. 
He had been a faithful and wise steward in Potiphar's house.  He
had been a faithful and wise steward in the prison house.  God had
prepared him for this time and purpose.

     "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath
     shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise
     as thou art:

     Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word
     shall all my people be ruled:  only in the throne will I
     be greater than thou."  *** Genesis 41:39-40

     Joseph was made second ruler in the kingdom.

     "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over
     all the land of Egypt."  *** Genesis 41:41

     Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring (his seal of authority).  He gave
him the finest linen garments and put a gold chain around his neck. 
Joseph rode in the second chariot behind Pharaoh.  All the people
bowed their knee to Joseph.  Pharaoh called Joseph, Zaphnathpaaneah
which means "treasurer of the glorious rest".  

DANIEL

    God's Word gives us another example of a man who was a
faithful steward in all that God had given him to do.  Daniel was
taken to Babylon at a very early age, possibly as a teen-ager.  As
Joseph, he was taught and established in the way of righteousness
as a child.  When Daniel and the other young men with him were
ordered to eat the king's meat and drink the king's wine, they
asked to be exempted, knowing these were defiled foods in the eyes
of God.

     "But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
     defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor
     with the wine which he drank:  therefore he requested of
     the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile
     himself."  *** Daniel 1:8

     Daniel and his companions desired water to drink and pulse to
eat.  Pulse is a simple vegetable diet"

     "Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love
     with the prince of the eunuchs."  *** Daniel 1:9

      Daniel was a faithful and wise steward before his God.  The
way of righteousness had been established in Daniel's life at an
early age.   Daniel's whole life, except for the few formative
years of childhood, would be spent in a foreign land serving in the
courts of heathen kings. 

     Nebudchadnezzar had a dream he could not remember.  After all
the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and Chaldeans failed to tell
the king his dream and the interpretation, the king was determined
to destroy all the so-called wise men in Babylon.  When Daniel
heard this, he asked to be brought before the king.  Not only did
God show Daniel the forgotten dream, he showed him the
interpretation also.  When Nebudchadnezzar realized that the Spirit
of the living God was with Daniel,

     "Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many
     great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province
     of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise
     men of Babylon."  *** Daniel 2:48

     Daniel was to be held in high esteem throughout the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar and his successors.  There came a time when God
would overthrow Babylon.  Belshazzar called for the holy vessels
that had been brought from the temple in Jerusalem so that his
drunken friends could drink wine from them.  This is when the
finger of God wrote on the wall, "Mene!  Mene!  Tekel!  Upharsin!"
which means by interpretation:  God hath numbered thy kingdom, and
finished it, *** Daniel 5:25-26.

     Daniel was called to interpret the writing, which he did. 
That night the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon because Daniel
had been a faithful and wise steward in all that God had given him
to do. When Darius, the Mede, was made governor over Babylon, he
established Daniel as first president over all his province.

     "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and
     princes, because an excellent spirit was in him;  and the
     king thought to set him over the whole realm."  ***
     Daniel 6:3

     Daniel was made second ruler in the kingdom of the Medes and
Persions.  Daniel found favor with God and man, *** Proverbs 3:4

     "Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion
     against Daniel concerning the kingdom;  but they could
     find none occasion nor fault;  forasmuch as he was
     faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in
     him."  *** Daniel 6:4

     Daniel was faithful and exulted the way of righteousness in
all he did.

     "Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion
     against this Daniel, except we find it against him
     concerning the law of his God."  *** Daniel 6:5

     These wicked, unjust stewards of the king's province conspired
to trick Darius into signing a decree that if any man asked a
petition (prayer) of any God or man for thirty days except the
king, he would be cast into the lion's den, *** Daniel 6:7

     Daniel had full knowledge that the king had signed this decree
since he was first president in the kingdom.  More than likely he
was present at the signing of the decree.  When Daniel knew the
writing was signed, he went to his house to pray.  This decree made
no difference in Daniel's prayer life.  He kneeled before the open
window as he was accustomed to doing three times a day to give
thanks to his God, *** Daniel 6:10.  Daniel was not praying for
deliverance from the lion's den, he was giving thanks to his God. 
As long as he was the faithful, wise steward of God's anointing,
Daniel had nothing to fear from man or government.  As David the
Psalmist wrote:

     "In God have I put my trust:  I will not be afraid what
     man can do unto me."  *** Psalm 56:11

     Daniel was a steward of God's Word even though he had been
taken to Babylon as a young man.  Daniel knew from the book of
Jeremiah that Israel would be in captivity for seventy years.  When
the seventy years were complete, Daniel told those in captivity it
was time to return to their beloved Jerusalem, *** Daniel 9:2.

     Daniel was a faithful and wise steward before his God.  Even
the prophet Ezekiel spoke of Daniel's righteousness,  *** Ezekiel
14:44.  The writer of Hebrews also spoke of Daniel's faithfulness,
when he wrote that God had stopped the mouths of lions, *** Hebrews
11:33.

     Daniel, as Joseph, would die in a foreign land, never to see
his homeland again.  These men knew their God, and though
imprisoned and living a continuous life of danger, they never
forgot who they were in God, nor did they deny God's calling in
their lives.

ABRAHAM'S  SERVANT   ELEAZAR

     God's Word affords us another example of faithful stewardship. 
When it came time for Abraham to take a wife for his chosen son,
Isaac, he called his eldest servant, the steward of his house:

     "And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house,
     that ruled over all that he had,"  *** Genesis 24:2

     Eleazar was Abraham's faithful and wise servant.  Abraham made
his Eleazar, his servant, swear that he would not take a wife for
his son Isaac from the daughters of Canaan.

     "And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his
     master, and departed;  for all the goods of his master
     were in his hand:  and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia,
     unto the city of Nahor."  *** Genesis 24:10
          
     Abraham trusted this faithful and wise steward with everything
he had because he was a proven servant of his master.  Abraham was
not protected by surety bonds, and he did not send an army to
protect that which was his.  Eleazar was entrusted with ten camels
loaded with all the wealth that Abraham had obtained.  The camels
were not laden with beads and blankets, but will all the wealth
that Abraham had accumulated.    

     When Rebekah agreed to become Isaac's wife, Eleazar brought
forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave
them to Rebekah:  he gave also to her brother and to her mother
precious things,  *** Genesis 24:53.

     All Abraham had was entrusted to Eleazar's, his steward, and 
Eleazar proved that Abraham's trust was well placed.  

     The Old Testament is full of types, shadows and examples of
what God is going to do in the end of the age.  Abraham is a type
of God the Father, the progenitor of all things.  The faithful and
wise steward is a type of Jesus who was a steward of all that God,
the Father, possessed.  Jesus was the steward of the Father's
grace, mercy, truth and love.  But also,  Jesus was  the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:"  ***
Colossians 1:15

     "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
     bodily."  *** Colossians 2:9

     Jesus was the steward of the life of God, the firstborn of
God's new creation man.  The Father placed all He had in the hands
of Jesus to take a bride for His Son.  That bride is the New
Jerusalem, that Holy City that is coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband, ***
Revelation 21:2.  That Holy City is made up of the corporate body
of Christ.  Jesus also revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos that,

     "...to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
     linen, clean and white:  for the fine linen is the
     righteousness of saints."  *** Revelation 19:8

     This Holy City is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. 
That fine, clean, white linen is the righteousness of the saints. 
As with Joseph and Daniel, the way of righteousness will have also
been established in their lives.  These are faithful and wise
stewards who will rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years.  

     Today many are proud to be called the children of God.  Paul
writes:

     "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child,
     differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of
     all;

     But is under tutors and governors until the time
     appointed of the Father."  *** Galatians 4:1-2

     These who are so proud to be children need to grow up into the
head which is Christ.  The time appointed by the Father is at hand. 
Tutors and governors could also be stated as teachers and pastors. 
It is the teachers' and pastors' job to bring a people to maturity. 
Paul wrote to the Ephesians:

     "Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led
     captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

     And He gave some, apostles;  and some, prophets;  and
     some, evangelists;  and some, pastors and teachers'

     For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
     ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

     Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
     knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the
     measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

     That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and
     fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
     the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they
     lie in wait to deceive:"  *** Ephesians 4:8, 11-14

     The gifts that God set in the church are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers.  They are put there for the
perfecting (maturing) of the saints, to do the work of the ministry
and to edify the body of Christ until we all come into the unity of
the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect
(complete, mature, whole) man, unto the stature of the fullness (or
in the image and likeness) of Christ, that we be no more children,
but mature, complete and whole, not being tossed to and fro by
every new doctrine that comes along and sounds good to tickle the
ears of silly women (lukewarm church).  But as Paul wrote to the
Colossians,

     "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be
     not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have
     heard, and which was preached to every creature which is
     under heaven;  whereof I Paul am made a minister;"  ***
     Colossians 1:23

     God is raising up His stewards of the gospel of Christ, those
who have become the Word of life.  God is looking for His Joseph's
and His Daniel's, who He can make second rulers in His kingdom. 
God is looking for those, who, as Abraham's steward can be trusted
with all the wealth of the Father.  

     Daniel's Chaldean name was Belteshazzar.  Joseph's Egyptian
name was Zaphnathpaaneah.  Daniel's name means "Lord of the
straitened treasure".  In Daniel we see those who have entered by
the strait and narrow gate, those who have come into a close,
intimate relationship with the Father, those who have been faithful
over the little things.  God is going to make these faithful and
wise stewards second rulers in His Kingdom.

     Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah means "Treasurer of the Glorious
Rest".  Joseph is a type of those who have ceased from their own
labors, as God did from His, and entered into His rest, *** Hebrews
4:10.  

     Today many of God's people are being tried in every area of
their lives.  They question what God is doing and why things have
to be so hard in their lives.  There concern is, "Has God forsaken
me?"  We can be assured that God has closed the mouths of the lion. 
That is why we are not consumed in our trials.

     When Joseph was made second ruler in the kingdom, he had a
perfect chance to get even with all those who had caused him harm; 
the forgetful butler, the unwise Potiphar and certainly his lying,
adulterous wife.  Joseph would see the day when the sheaves (his
brothers) would bow before him, and certainly no one could fault
Joseph for rendering recompense for all that he had suffered
because of the evil his brothers had brought upon him.  When faced
by his brothers, Joseph's reply to them was:

     "But as for you, ye thought evil against me;  but God
     meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day,
     to save much people alive."  *** Genesis 50:20

     What would seem to be evil in our life today, God is intending
it for good to train us in his kingdom ways, so that when he
returns He can have that people "that He finds so doing" His
kingdom ways.

     God is looking for stewards to set over all the works of His
hands.  God is raising up a victorious, overcoming people that He
will make second rulers in His Kingdom.

     "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found
     faithful".  *** I Corinthians 4:2


Questions

1.   Stewards, God's caretakers of His  whole creation, are given
     responsibility in what 4 areas?  

2.   What is God's design for stewardship? 

3.   What is the first requirement in stewardship? 

4.   The word "faithful" means:  

5.   In our day many of God's stewards  are in financial trouble. 
     Why?

6.   Why does the Bible tell God's stewards to be faithful in
     unrighteous mammon?   Explain     Luke 16:11-12

7.   Who are the stewards to whom God will make ruler's in His
     kingdom? Luke 12:42-44

8.   What will happen to the unjust stewards, those who have been
     slothful in wasting God's money?

9.   The faithful and wise stewards who are faithful over         
     ______________________ will be made _________________
     in God's kingdom. 

10.  Who were the first two unjust stewards?  Explain why. 

11.  Why does God give man wealth? 

12.  Today those who have violated God's stewardship are not to
     proud to __________________ .  II Peter 2:3

13.  When an unjust steward is rejected of God, it is wise for him
     to do what?  Why?  Luke 16:8-9   

14.  Joseph was given a robe of many colors which represents      
     ____________________, ___________________, and ________
     ______________________
                       
15.  When men desire to go their own way, the first things they do
     is ______________________________________.                                            

16.  Relate the things which prepared Joseph to step into the
     position of God's faithful steward.

17.  What qualities and training did Daniel possess that enabled
     him to become a faithful steward in God's kingdom?             

18.  In what areas did Abraham's Eleazar, prove to be a faithful
     steward?  
    
19.  Explain how Jesus, our example, was our faithful steward.  

20.  If we are to learn from those faithful and wise stewards who
     have preceded us, what must we remember to do?  STEWARDSHIP


FOR  FURTHER  DISCUSSION


*    The Faithful and Wise Steward
*    The Unjust Steward
*    Our Examples to Follow in
     Stewardship
          Joseph
          Daniel
          Eleazar
          Jesus
*    A Challenge to Faithful Pastors Stewardship

Answer Key


1.   Stewards, God's caretakers of His whole creation, are given
     responsibility in what 4 areas?  

     His creation
     Finances
     His Spirit
     His life

2.   What is God's design for stewardship?  

     All things belong to the Lord and man is God's steward of His
     creation

3.   What is the first requirement in stewardship?  

     that a man be found faithful

     The word faithful means:  

     trusted, reliable, to show yourself faithful in the
     transaction of business;  to execute commands;  and 
     the discharge of official duties

4.   In our day many of God's stewards are in financial trouble. 
     Why?

     because that which God has entrusted in their hands, they have
     consumed upon their own lusts

5.   Why does the Bible tell god's stewards to be faithful in
     unrighteous mammon?   Explain  Luke 16:11-12

6.   Who are the stewards to whom God will make ruler's in His
      kingdom?  Luke 12:42-44

     those faithful and wise stewards who are already operating
     their lives by and through God's Spirit in their finances 
     when he cometh

7.   What will happen to the unjust stewards, those who have been
     slothful in wasting God's money?  

     1 - stripped of that which God entrusted him with

     2 - his talent will be give to faithful stewards

8.   The faithful and wise stewards who are faithful over ________          
     _______________ will be made ________________________________
     in God's kingdom.  

     a few things;  rulers over many things

9.   Who were the first two unjust stewards?  Explain why.  

     Adam and Eve.  They were negligent in bringing all things
     under dominion.  They, instead consumed God's abundance on 
     their own lusts.

10.  Why does God give man wealth?  

     to establish His covenant

11.  Today those who have violated God's stewardship are not to
     proud to __________.  II Peter 2:3

     beg

12.  When an unjust steward is rejected of God, it is wise for him
     to do what?  Why?  Luke 16:8-9   

     to make friends with the world, for he will no longer receive
     from God

13.  Joseph was given a robe of many colors which represents      
     _________________________, ________________, and __________________.  

     righteousness, virtue, priestly robe

     When men desire to go their own way, the first things they do
     is __________________________________________________________ .    

     to strip all priesthood authority and remove the blameless,
     spotless, righteous influence from their lives

14.  Relate the things which prepared Joseph to step into the
     position of God's faithful steward.  

15.  What qualities and training did Daniel possess that enabled
     him to become a faithful steward in God's kingdom?

16.  In what areas did Abraham's Eleazar, prove to be a faithful
     steward?  

17.  Explain how Jesus, our example, was our faithful steward.  

18.  If we are to learn from those faithful and wise stewards who
     have preceded us, what must we remember to do?  

 

Vital Words to the Body of Christ 

Freely We Have Received, Freely We Give

E-mail:
vitalwords@aol.com

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