Chosen Grace

Happy June everyone! We are in 2024 and it feels amazing to be here with you all 🙂 Enjoy this blog post.

I recently graduated with my master’s degree (Glory to God!). And with this recent accomplishment also comes with the realization that I actually am done with school, meaning that it is time for me to get a ‘big girl job’.

As I wait for God to open the door to the job He has specifically called me to, I will be spending the summer as a summer camp counselor. This is not my first rodeo as a camp counselor.

This year, however, I have learned a few things before the summer program has even started. And the one thing that the Lord has been constantly reminding me of is to steward it well.

As the Lord began to minister to me more about this, He led me back to a familiar scripture. Let’s dive into it below:

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

– Matthew 25:14-18, NIV

In this chapter, Jesus was explaining how His second coming will be. And in this particular parable, Jesus used the example above. This parable has been one of my favorites ever since last year and I’m excited to share what God has revealed to me. Let’s dig into it:

You see, the man in the story entrusted each of his three servants with different amounts, each according to their ability. The first servant got 5 bags of gold, the second received 2, and the third servant received one.

As we are all servants in God’s kingdom- He has given each of us different but specific abilities. These can be physical characteristics such as our height, skin color, or the curl pattern of our hair. Or these can be our spiritual gifts (as found in 1 Cor. 12; Romans 12).

This notion also applies to our situations in life. God specifically ordained for our family, hometown, and overall life to be just the way it is. He intentionally placed us at our jobs, schools, and churches. And with that in mind: it is our job to steward these things well.

I told you guys earlier that the Lord has been ministering this idea of stewardship to me a lot lately. You see, I’ve worked at this summer camp program for 6 years. Each summer it’s the same thing: kids, pools, and dodgeball.

But while I am in the same environment, I have changed. This is because the Lord has called me to a place of true stewardship. This means that I’m gonna sweep the floors, apply the sunscreen, and play the games with an attitude of serving, not pride, fear, or doubt.

While God has spoken this to me about my job as a summer camp counselor – He is also speaking to you about your life situation. It could be being a parent, a CEO, or simply washing the dishes more often.

No matter the person, place, or thing- God’s call to stewardship is serious. The verses below bring this into perspective:

“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’“
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’“
The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
 “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

– Matthew 25: 19-30, NIV

In the final scriptures of the parable, we see the results of each servants action. The first two servants were rewarded for their work. Their master praised and honored their efforts.

Bu this was not the case for the final servant. You see, instead of going out and multiplying what had been given to him- he hid it.

I think that Jesus included this example in Matthew as a cautionary tale. It shows us that when we execute well and honor what the Lord has called us to- we will gain exceedingly more than we could have ever imagined (Ephesians 3:20).

This parable is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 12, where The Lord is instructing the newly liberated Israelites how to worship. His promise to them is that if they follow His command, “it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.” (v. 28).

All the Israelites and the servants in the story above had to do was steward what God told them to well – and life everlasting would be theirs.

And so it shall be with us.

To close out this blog post, I want to encourage all of you to steward it well. I don’t know your ‘it’, but God does. Whatever Abba has commanded from you- do it! But don’t do it with grudgingly. No- we must do everything in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

Steward it well, friends. Steward it well.

With love and a new joy for stewardship,

Malaysia 🙂

PRAYER FOR STEWARDSHIP

Dear Lord,

Thank You that you have called me to steward my life well. May everything You’ve purposefully placed into my hands multiply as I strive to honor You. Lord I rebuke fear and doubt as I execute what You have gracefully placed upon my life. God get the glory out of my stewardship. In Jesus name,

Amen