There came a time when I realised that one of the greatest truths I could ever understand was that my life was not my own and that I had been bought with a price.
“You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
I therefore am a steward, which means that I am to be a careful and responsible manager of the life that has been entrusted to me.

Randy Alcorn explains, “Stewardship isn’t a subcategory of the Christian life. Stewardship IS the Christian life. After all, what is stewardship except that God has entrusted to us life, time, talents, money, possessions, family and His grace? In each case, He evaluates how we regard what He has entrusted to us and what we are to do with it.”
Jeremiah prayed, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own. It is not for them to direct their steps.” Jeremiah 10:23
Paul succinctly summarises these words when he said, “It is required of a steward the one be found faithful.” 1 Corinthians 4:2

The more I understand my life as a follower of Jesus, the more these words provide clear perspective for the way I am to live my life.

The evidence for living a life of stewardship is compelling :-

• God created me.
  “For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” Psalm 139:13-14
• God created me for a purpose.
  “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
• God loves and values me.
  “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
  Romans 5:8
• God purchased me at a great price; my life belongs to Him.
  “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
• God will provide all my needs.
  “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
  Matthew 6:33
• God has given me special gifts to use in serving Him.
  “We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us.” Romans 12:6
• God has given me His Word and His Spirit to reveal His unfolding purposes to me.
  “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
  “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” Romans 8:14
  “…..the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26
• I will be accountable to God for the life He has entrusted to me.
  “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
  2 Corinthians 5:10
• God’s great purposes will continue to unfold for the rest of my life.
  “…….being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
• My love relationship with Christ is my motivation.
  “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Guidelines for Living the Life of a Steward

Because I am a steward and I am not my own, I will :

• treat each day as a gift from God to be used for His glory.
• begin each day in the word of God, asking the Holy Spirit to fill me afresh.
• never stop taking initiatives to develop and grow the life that has been entrusted to me.
• be sensitive to the prompts of the Holy Spirit.
• stay focussed and finish well.
• live with an eternal perspective.
• refuse to accept that there will come a day when I will retire from serving God.
• serve God according to the SHAPE (Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences) that He has purposed for me.
• live according to the model that Jesus spoke of when He said, “the Son can do nothing by Himself, He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” John 5:19-20
• avoid allowing secondary things to get in the way of the most important things.
• expect great things from God and attempt great things for God (William Carey) believing that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
• live according to God’s unfolding seasons that He has planned for my life.

Because I am a steward and I am not my own, I am believing that there will come a day where I will pray:

“Father, I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do.”
John 17:4