Of What are we Stewards?

Prayer-Soldier · Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:49 pm Post subject: Of What are we Stewards?

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, do these, and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philipians 4:6-9)

Hear 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 will 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)

A moment we should take to ask, what is planted in us? A moment we should take to ask, what gifts have been given us? Though God created us, we are the stewards of who we are. We have the choice to grow the talents granted to us, but we should remember that no person was created with all gifts so that we might share of our fruits as the parts of each body must work together if all are to enjoy the great wonders of life.

As stewards of who we are, we should ask, what fruit do we bring forth? Do we share of ourselves in love or do we while away our time in gossip and judgment? Do we use our hands to help, or do we use them to hoard the fruits of our toil? Do we extend ourselves to those in need, or do we retreat to our own desires? As we take inventory of ourselves, we should ask, what kind of grapes are we.

If we do not like the answer, if we do not like what we see, not all is lost, for the freewill which allowed us to make the poor choices is the same freewill which allows us to reform who we are and reform what we do. If the land in which the vine is planted is dry, then, we can set our hand to irrigate it with life giving water. If the soil in which the vine is planted is poor, we can till it and spread nutrients so that what is planted will flourish to deliver the sweetest fruit.

In prayer, we should ask for the life giving water which will forever satisfy the thirst of our souls. In prayer, we should ask for the fertile soil of wisdom and understanding of the commandments of love to nourish our heart. If we nourish our hearts with love, the fruit we will deliver will be sweet; but if we allow our hearts to be fed with evil, the fruit we will deliver will be sour and we will be consumed by weeds, thorns and briars till all of the field is set afire to rid the land of that which there is no desire.

It is right to ask of Him what we cannot deliver ourselves, but we should first ask of ourselves what we are able to deliver. He has sown in each of us great talents, but we must discover them. He has sown in us great seeds of love, but they are nothing if we do not allow them to grow. Let us remember, the Word is the life giving water which will forever satisfy our souls. If we trust in the Word, we trust in Him. If we trust in Him, through Him, all things are possible.

We only need to look about us as to the unhappiness which surrounds us. If what we do feeds bitterness, should we not be surprised if bitterness soon surrounds us? If what we do sows divisions, should we not be surprised when divisions surround us? If what we do feeds evil, should we not be surprised when evil surrounds us?

We did not create the world, we are but the stewards of what was created. Through the gifts granted to us through our Creator, we are given the responsibility to tend what He sows. Blessed are the people who respond to His Word. Blessed are the people who understand His commandments of love, for as they follow the Word, what they sow is love.

Nations have risen with Him as their guide, but nations have fallen as they have lost their way. If a people turns their back to the Lord, what grace should they expect of Him. It is with arrogance some will rise to say that we know more of the universe than the Creator. It is with arrogance some will rise to claim that which was created rather than giving praise to the wonders of the Creator. Still, others, who know they had no hand in the creation, will give credit to Gods created in their own image rather than the true Creator of all that is visible and invisible throughout the heavens and the earth.

To what shall be yielded to those who stand in arrogance, who claim what is not theirs, who do not give thanks and praise to the rightful owner; what wages of life will they earn when what they sow are the seeds of death? We need but look around at the destruction which surrounds us, the misery which walks the streets; but the destruction is but a symptom, it is a warning of what happens when selfishness envelops the land, a sign of what will happen to a people without faith; but it is not of these things for which the tenants of the world should be concerned, it is the damage which is being done to their souls.

When a father sends his son as his envoy, but the son is rejected by the people to which the son is sent, so too is the father. The son may be assumed as weak as he comes in peace with arms outstretched, expecting that those who have been given much may be thankful for what they are given; and so he comes to celebrate and collect what should be reaped. It is the seduction of arrogance for the tenders to now believe they should be the owners, though they did not create what they tend. It is their own doom they seal when they do not recognize what justice will come when even the son of the father is rejected.

Blessed are the nations who lay their foundation upon the strength of the Lord, for what they sow in the name of their Creator will grow many fold. Sad are the nations which lay their foundation upon selfishness and arrogance, for they will lose their way and fall to divisions. As each individual faces this choice, so too do nations of peoples. Blessed are those who are thankful for the gifts for which they have received. Blessed are those who share of their gifts, for as we share, so too do we receive.

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