Servants and Stewards...

Hi friends,

I've been reading through Paul's letters recently in my devotional reading time and I came across this verse in 1 Corinthians 4:1 - 'This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.'

These two words, servants and stewards, struck me as a pretty good description of how we should view not only Paul and his missionary team, but also ourselves. Servants are those who know they are employed by and accountable to their master. They don't do their own thing or set their own agenda. They seek their master's instructions and aim to please him in everything they do. Their aim is to be faithful to their master in everything. This is how we are called to live our lives as followers of Christ. He is our master and lord, and the way we live should reflect our desire to please and obey him in all things.

Stewards are those who are entrusted with something for use and safekeeping. They know it is not theirs and therefore treat it with respect and faithfulness to its intended purpose. Paul knew that the message he preached about the mysteries of God that had been revealed in Christ was not his to do with as he pleased. He knew that his responsibility was to be a faithful steward and preach the gospel according to the purpose given to him by God.

The same can be said of us. We have been entrusted with a message and with gifts from God, but we are stewards of these, not owners. So as we speak and serve we need to be mindful that our aim is to be faithful to the One who entrusted us with these gifts and this message. We are servants and stewards.

I used the beautiful new In This Together stamp set on this page, which I stamped and coloured with watercolours. The text was stamped with a combination of Skinny Lowercase Alpha and Bitty Minnie Alpha. I added a Blue Morpho Butterfly printed on clear sticker paper. Here are the sets I used:

My prayer is that we would be faithful servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and faithful stewards of that which he has entrusted to us.

Be blessed...
x Amy x