Much of life is difficult, filled with hard things to do and stressful decisions to make. Sometimes what we expect doesn’t happen, and we are disappointed in the outcome. Maybe the school I chose to attend is nothing like I thought; the homework is endless and I’m not making friends like I had pictured. The motorcycle I had always dreamed of owning is now hard to afford on my meager budget, and it seems to spend more time in the shop getting fixed then transporting me along a winding mountain road with the wind in my hair (like in the commercials).
For some people, their work may be disappointing and not at all like they expected it should be. Is it that way for you? Does it seem like your job should be more exciting or rewarding, and if it’s not, something must be wrong? It may be that your expectations for your job are unrealistic or misplaced. Entertainment and pleasure is held as the highest value for much of our popular culture. This is so prominent in our culture, that some are convinced that their job ought to provide a daily reward of warm fuzzy feelings or a surge of endorphin pleasure – or the job is not worth doing. But the truth written in the Bible is definitely counter-cultural!
After creating man, God planted the garden of Eden and placed the man there to “cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:8,15). With very little fanfare, the Bible describes how God assigned man to care for the garden which He had planted. God worked for six days creating the world and all that is on and above it, and then rested on the seventh day. The person who consistently works and cultivates their productivity in whatever “garden” God that has placed them in, is an accurate reflection or image of God.
This assignment, to care for someone else’s property, is called a stewardship. A master entrusts a steward with the care and well-being of his property, belongings, or resources, as if it were their own. From the beginning, God prescribed that man should be entrusted and engaged with purposeful, productive work or activity, in relationship with others. In today’s economic terms, we might refer to such a person as a business owner, or as an employee of a business. God entrusts the business owner with a trade, product, or service to provide for others. The business owner entrusts the employee with responsibilities to assemble, care for, sell, promote, or provide the products or services of the business.
Jesus had a great deal to say about stewardship in the gospels. He speaks of “the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants” (Luke 12:42-43). It is clear that faithfulness in smaller things is the criteria for determining when a steward might be eligible for promotion or advancement to greater responsibilities (Luke 16:10-12).
God places great value on dependable and consistent work in service to others. In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, those in the church are urged to, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.”
The importance of stewardship and the responsibility of work is also addressed in 2 Thessalonians, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread” (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Work, productivity, and cultivating the talents and resources God has placed within each person is a natural expression of how we are created in God’s image.
Finally, the Bible gives another stern admonition to those who are irresponsible in caring for their families by being unwilling to work with diligence, “If anyone does not provide for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).
A life of faithful stewardship is only possible when you are restored in relationship with God through believing in Jesus as the Son of God, dying on the cross for your sins. In Jesus you return to the posture of humility toward your Creator. If you have not accepted God’s invitation to be restored in relationship with Him, through Jesus – make that decision today.
As God’s creation, wherever you find yourself today is the garden where God has placed you. It may be different someday, but you are where you are now. God has breathed His breath into your lungs today, and has given you energy and movement by his grace and power. He has tasked you to “cultivate and keep” the garden where he has placed you. Be a faithful steward. Remember, faithfulness in smaller things is always the criteria for determining when a steward might be eligible for promotion or advancement to greater responsibilities.
