STEWARDSHIP
A steward is a man who manages another's property, especially a large house or estate.
A steward is therefore a servant i.e. one who works for another. Stewardship is the duty of a steward. When looking at stewardship, a number of issues must be examined:
1. Property And Ownership
We begin to look at this by looking at the earth. Who owns the earth? The earth is owned by the one who created it and that is God.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth". (Gen 1:1).
Genesis 1:21-22 tells how He created living creatures on earth then how He created man (Gen 22:7).
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Commit the future to God -
Victory Witness Feb 2011
Pastor George Oduch - VCCM Senior Pastor sharing the Word in a Sunday service where he encouraged believers and the entire nation of Uganda to commit the future to God
To commit is to hand over or entrust. When you go through the teaching of the bible, you will realize one thing; that it is best to commit the future into God’s hand. The dictionary defines the future as time or event coming after the present. One minute from now is already in the future. The future is very much connected to events, i.e. prospects, expectations, opportunities. And these are things that can cause people to be anxious. When your job contract is ending, you can begin to wonder or worry about how you will manage. When your spouse begins to show signs of deceitfulness, you can begin to worry about the future of your marriage.
When your expectations are not met and the future looks uncertain what do you do? During the recent election in Uganda, as I watched the T.V, I saw people who had won jubilate and for those who had lost I could see disappointment written all over their faces and others looked worried. In others, I could detect bitterness in their words. Much of all these reactions are connected to their perception of the future. Whether your expectations in the present time are met or not, it is very important that you commit the future prospects into God’s hands. Let us look at three reasons why we need to commit the future into the hands of God:-
1. God Holds The Future
Isaiah 46:9-10 says that “Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come
to pass, for I do whatever I wish”. (NLT). Here God says that because he is God, He alone can tell about the future. In KJV translation of Isaiah 46:9-10 God says that there is none like Him, declaring the end from the beginning. God is able to declare the end from the beginning because He holds the future. He is before the future. The Psalmist in Psalms 90:2 says this of God:“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou at God”. From everlasting to everlasting God is God. He is not bound by time. He holds the future. Colossians 1:17 says that God is before all things and in Him all things hold together. He is before all things. He is a head of time. Instead of being anxious or presumptuous about the future, one should hand over the future into the hands of the only one who holds it.
2. God Has A Plan For You
One of the things that should encourage one not to worry or be anxious about the future is the fact that God has a
plan for everyone. In Jeremiah 29:11 He says that “For I know the plan I have for you, declares the Lord, plans
to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
A future without a plan is an aimless future. When you realize that a plan exist for your life and well being, then you
can a ford to relax and trust God knowing that He cannot fail you in all that you do according to His will. You have to
be aware that counterfeit plans exist for your life. That counterfeit plan is authored by the evil one. That plan comes
through others or even yourself. It is a plan that is outside God’s will. Isaiah 18:19 warns us about seeking for a plan
for your life outside God’s will: “I and the children the Lord has given me have names that reveal the plans the
Lord Almighty has for His people. So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting mediums and
psychics? Do not listen to their whisperings and mutterings. Can the living find out the future from the
dead? Why not ask your God? (NLT).
This means that you and even your children have the plans of God tagged on your name. That means that He has a
plan tailored to suit you personally. So, you don’t need to go elsewhere to find out what the future holds for you. You
don’t need to go to psychics and spititists (witchdoctors) to find out about your future. You should go only to God to
find out about your future. He is the one with the plan. Not satan, not people who speak negatively about your life.
Don’t listen to the bad thing they say about you. Believe the good God says He has in store for you.
3. God’s Plans Are Good
Not only does God has a plan for us but His plan is good. For example, He has a good plan for your family,
marriage, and business etc. and for whatever else that He has called you to do.That is why God refers to it as plans
to prosper us and not for harm, plans to give us a future. In other words God’s plan brings to pass our expectations.
Why is God’s plan good ?
a) It Causes You To Prosper.
God’s plan for your life is good because it causes you to prosper. To prosper is to thrive, do well, get on, make
money or show profit. Prosperity is contained in God’s plan for you.
b) It Provides Security
In God’s plan, your job, marriage life, business etc is secure. God will provide for your security in everything He
Guides you to do according to His plan. Because He is there, you can live a life free of fear and worry about your
future knowing that it is secure.
c) It Gives Hope.
When you are outside God’s will and you suffer loss your spirit can suffer torments. Where there is no hope the spirit is crushed. But God’s plans gives hope for the future, because it is based on His promises and it cannot fail.
d) God’s Plan Has A Good End.
What makes the plan of God for your life good and worth entrusting it into his hands is the fact that its end is good.
In other words God’s plan is accomplishing. God finishes everything He begins. That is what makes His plan good
and worth trusting. When you remember that God holds the future and that He has a good plan for you, you will
save yourself a lot of heart ache and you shall not be moved by the circumstance around you, but by your faith in a
God who holds the future and is able to change the circumstances around you for good. God Bless you.
