Stewardship: Being Faithful With Little

Are you being a good steward of what God has given you? 

Pioneering a missions center, school, ministry, or practically anything, anywhere, is difficult. Our vision is often bigger than what we currently have. It's easy to have our eyes on the future in anticipation, but are we truly being good stewards of what we've been given?

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.  But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.  Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’" Matthew 25:14-30
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Although there is no specific explanation of this parable in the Bible, given the context, it seems to be speaking a great deal about our stewardship with the word of God. The majority of the parables in Matthew 24 and 25 are about the coming of the "Son of Man." Are we being good stewards by sharing the knowledge that we have about God? Are those that we shared the gospel with, now sharing it with other people?  The master in this parable expected his subjects to know his character and plans when he delegated responsibility to them. 

1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

Suppose you've been given the gift of hospitality but you are at a church or part of a YWAM base that only has a handful of people. Perhaps you feel called to leadership and your only leadership role is on a weekly dishes roster. If God has told you to be a worship leader and you only know two chords, how are you using that knowledge? If you only get $300 a month, how are you using that money? Are you being a good steward of what you've been given?

Don't worry if you don't have as much resource or influence as you would like. Just use what you have. That is all He requires! 

“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.” 
― John Wesley

Faith Yoder
Staff at YWAM Myrtle Beach