Just Stewardship

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:24 pm Post subject: Just Stewardship

Just Stewardship

Scripture:

I will sing to my beloved the canticle of my cousin concerning his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a hill in a fruitful place. And he fenced it in, and picked the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vines, and built a tower in the midst thereof, and set up a wine press therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you men of Juda, judge between me and my vineyard. What is there that I ought to do more to my vineyard, that I have not done to it? Was it that I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it has brought forth wild grapes? And now I will show you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be wasted: I will break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will make it desolate: it shall not be pruned, and it shall not be dug: but briers and thorns shall come up: and I will command the clouds to rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel: and the man of Juda, his pleasant plant: and I looked that he should do judgment, and behold iniquity: and do justice, and behold a cry.
(Isaiah 5:1-7)

Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline: think on these things. The things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do you: and the God of peace shall be with you.
(Philippians 4:6-9)

Hear you another parable. There was a man, a householder, who planted a vineyard and made a hedge round about it and dug in it a press and built a tower and let it out to husbandmen and went into a strange country. And when the time of the fruits drew nigh, he sent his servants to the husbandmen that they might receive the fruits thereof. And the husbandmen laying hands on his servants, beat one and killed another and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the former; and they did to them in like manner. And last of all he sent to them his son, saying: They will reverence my son. But the husbandmen seeing the son, said among themselves: This is the heir: come, let us kill him, and we shall have his inheritance. And taking him, they cast him forth out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do to those husbandmen? They say to him: He will bring those evil men to an evil end and let out his vineyard to other husbandmen that shall render him the fruit in due season. Jesus said to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes. Therefore I say to you that the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and shall be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof.
(Matthew 21:33-43)

Reflection:

At the moment we were conceived in the womb, all which makes us unique is coded within us. This unique code is written by God. Within it is contained the make up of our bodies and the talents which will define us as we mature. At the moment of conception, our life is set in motion; the rest which comes is a matter of maturity and experience. As we mature to where we may use our talents, several questions arise, such as, do we understand what God created within us? Do we understand what He desires of His creation? Will we understand how to be responsible stewards of all which God has placed within us?

The desire of God is that we follow His commands so we may live in love of Him and one another. His desire is that we will allow the righteousness of His Word to lead our lives. If we look to His instruction, we have the opportunity to share in love, to share our blessings, and to share in thanks and praise of the One who created us. All which is right and just is possible from us, but to give meaning to our existence, He also created us with freewill; the ability to assess and choose our path. The choice, then, of what comes from us, is ours, but will we be responsible stewards of our choices?

Some do not care as to the blessings which may come from us. They do not perceive the civility to which they are called. Their choices are driven by selfishness. Their relationships are not of compassion and love, but of manipulation and domination. They fail to see what fruits may come from them if they follow the ways of God, instead, they yield fruits of their own desire; fruits of darkness.

If we examine ourselves and discover the darkness, we still have choices before us; choices whereby we may turn away from the darkness; choices whereby we may seek the hand of God so we may follow to where He leads us.

As some close their ears to His Word, as they look away so as to not observe its wisdom, they turn away from the blessings they may share. As they turn from His commands and seek their own ways, indifferent to the harm which dark choices yield, they turn also from their Creator. They endeavor to convert His creation to their own where they may plunder its fruits for their desire, but the day will come for an accounting as to their stewardship of His creation.

If the Word Made Flesh becomes the cornerstone of the foundation from which we construct our values, many blessings will come to us and flow through us. The fruits of our choices and our endeavors will yield blessings for all who surround us and shall ripple far beyond. Those who follow His ways need not speak on the day of accounting, for He will see their fruits.

What, then, of those who seek to be stewards with a faithless heart? What will come from their hands? They cannot produce righteousness from the darkness. Their endeavors shall not yield nourishment, for they fail to till the field with the perseverance and determination of love. The fields over which they have sought dominion shall turn desolate. On the day of accounting, no matter what they speak, the Owner of the field will see what has come from their choices.

If we are to be responsible stewards of what our Creator has given us, we must seek His wisdom and endeavor to live by all which it offers. As we follow His ways, we shall yield blessed fruits. What we may have allowed to become fallow in the darkness shall flourish in His light. Let us, then, turn to Him in prayer and ask Him to lead us so that all which comes from us is the good fruit from which we shall be blessed to share.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways do we contribute to what is right and just?

In what ways do we give thanks for the many ways God works within our lives?

In what ways do we seek to be responsible stewards of all which God provides to us?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier