Stewardship – Part 6

Scripture shows clearly we are called to be stewards.  A steward is a manager.  A manager looks after what he is put in charge of.  Today we are going to look at everything we possess as a seed.  Seeds come in all forms, but in this series we have been focusing on the seed of wealth.  Stewardship is nothing more than managing all seeds placed in our possession based on God’s principles and God’s instructions.

Scriptures:

Genesis 1: 28a:  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: ^{KJ fruitful- bring increase  multiply-  be in authority to bring in abundance; replenish- gather and fill to full;  subdue- conquer; bring in subjection to}

Psalm 24: 1:   The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. ^NAS

Genesis 8: 22:  While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”   ^ESV

Genesis 1: 11, 12:   ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. ¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.  ^NKJ

2 Corinthians 9: 10-13:   ¹⁰ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, and your giving through us will produce thanksgiving to God. ¹² For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.  ¹³ Because of the proof this ministry provides, the saints will glorify God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ, and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to all the others   ^{Berean Study}

Luke 12: 13-21:   ¹³ Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed Me  judge or executor between you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶ Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. ¹⁷ So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ ²⁰  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ ²¹ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.” ^{Life-zoe to live a lifetime}

Mark 6: 30-44:   ³⁰ Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. ³¹ And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. ³² So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. ³³ But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. ³⁴ And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. ³⁵ When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. ³⁶ Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat.” ³⁷ But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.”  And they said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?”  ³⁸ But He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they found out they said, “Five, and two fish.”  ³⁹ Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰ So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. ⁴¹ And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. ⁴² So they all ate and were filled. ⁴³ And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. ⁴⁴ Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.   ^NKJ

Luke 21: 1-3:   ¹ Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, ² and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  ³ And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”   ^ESV

Luke 16: 10, 11, 13:  ¹⁰ “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. ¹¹“Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? ¹³ “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”   ^NAS

Luke 6: 37, 38:  ³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”  ^ESV