Be a Good Steward of Whatever God Gives You
It’s Not About How Much You Have
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is this: God isn’t asking me to manage what someone else has. He’s asking me to be faithful with what He’s placed in my hands.
We live in a world that constantly pushes comparison.
We compare our money to someone else’s wealth.
Our business to someone else’s success.
Our platform to someone else’s following.
Our gifts to someone else’s talents.
Comparison is dangerous because it causes us to overlook what we’ve already been entrusted with.
I’ve learned that stewardship begins with gratitude.
You can’t properly manage what you’re always complaining about.
Everything Is on Loan
The older I get, the more I understand that everything I have is temporary.
My relationships.
My opportunities.
My resources.
My influence.
My gifts and abilities.
Even my time.
None of it truly belongs to me.
I’m simply managing what God has entrusted to me for a season.
That perspective changes everything.
When you understand that you’re a steward and not an owner, you become more intentional with how you live.
You stop wasting opportunities.
You stop taking people for granted.
You stop abusing your gifts.
You stop chasing things that don’t matter.
You realize that one day you’ll have to answer for how you handled what was placed in your care.
Steward the Small Things
Many people want more.
More money.
More influence.
More opportunities.
More responsibility.
But God often looks at how we handle the little things before He entrusts us with greater things.
Can you manage your current finances?
Can you lead the people already around you?
Can you show up consistently even when nobody is watching?
Can you honor the assignment you have today?
I’ve discovered that faithfulness in small things often prepares us for bigger assignments.
The little things aren’t little.
They’re preparation.
Steward Your Relationships
Some of the greatest gifts God gives us aren’t things. They’re people.
Family.
Friends.
Mentors.
Coworkers.
The young people we’re called to influence.
The people who pray for us, encourage us, and challenge us to become better.
Relationships require stewardship.
People need our time.
They need our presence.
They need our attention.
Too often we assume people know how much we appreciate them.
Then life reminds us that every conversation isn’t guaranteed.
Cherish the people God places in your life.
Love them well.
Encourage them often.
Give people their flowers while they can still smell them.
Steward Your Gifts
Every gift carries responsibility.
Some people have the ability to lead.
Others can teach, build, create, encourage, organize, or inspire.
The question isn’t whether you’re gifted.
The question is whether you’re using what you’ve been given.
Far too many people die with potential still sitting inside of them.
Books never written.
Businesses never started.
Dreams never pursued.
Wisdom never shared.
Potential was never meant to be stored.
It was meant to serve others.
God doesn’t give us gifts simply for our benefit.
He gives them to us so we can make a difference.
Steward Your Influence
You don’t need millions of followers to have influence.
Influence is simply the ability to impact someone else’s life.
As a parent, you have influence.
As a coach, you have influence.
As a business owner, you have influence.
As a friend, you have influence.
As a leader in your community, you have influence.
The question becomes: What are you doing with it?
Are you building people up?
Are you serving others?
Are you leading with integrity?
Influence is one of God’s greatest gifts because it allows us to leave fingerprints on lives that may outlive us.
That’s called legacy.
Stewardship Is Worship
I’ve come to believe that stewardship is one of the purest forms of worship.
How I handle my time matters.
How I treat people matters.
How I use my gifts matters.
How I manage opportunities matters.
Everything God places in my hands deserves my best effort because I’m ultimately serving Him.
I may not have everything I want.
I may not be where I ultimately want to go.
But I can choose to be faithful with what I’ve already been given.
Because often, the next blessing isn’t found in asking for more.
It’s found in properly managing what you already have.
My Challenge to You
Take inventory of your life.
What has God already placed in your hands?
Your family?
Your business?
Your health?
Your talents?
Your opportunities?
Your influence?
Now ask yourself a difficult question:
Am I being a good steward of these gifts, or am I taking them for granted?
Don’t spend your life wishing for more while neglecting what you’ve already been entrusted with.
Be faithful.
Be intentional.
Be grateful.
Because the measure of a person’s life isn’t found in how much they accumulate.
It’s found in how well they steward what God gave them.
And that’s where legacy begins.