A steward watches over and cares for the property and/or household of another, especially while that person is away.  There are not too many things more precious to a man than his household.  Those things that are most important to him and are closest to his heart are found there.  So then, to be a steward (one who someone trusts enough to place his most valuable possessions under) is a great honor.

This is the role that God has given to us as Christians.  This says that God trusts us to do what is right with those things that belong to Him.  What a powerful motive that should be.   God is telling us, “I believe in you so much that I am allowing you to manage my earthly affairs while I am away.  Now, do not let me down!”

Every time we are unfaithful to God in any way, we are taking the strong belief and trust He has in us and stomping all over it.  If we do not want to do that, we must be the proper kind of stewards.   What kind of stewards should we strive to be?  In a word, we should want to be faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 (ESV)
¹  This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ²  Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

Here is the first requirement of all stewards—faithfulness.  What does it mean to be a faithful steward?  It first means to carry out the job that our master gives us to do.  In the realm of Christianity, it involves being faithful to God by living according to the gospel, and then being faithful in the exercise of our duties.

Philippians 1:27 (ESV)
²⁷  Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Paul mentions three things that summarize what it takes to be a faithful steward of God:

1. We Must Have the Manners of Citizenship. The Greek word translated “let your manner of life be” literally meant, “to behave as a citizen.” Philippi was a Roman colonist.  Its citizens were primarily Roman citizens.  Though they were far away from Rome, they lived like Romans.  Like the Roman colonists, we must act like citizens of heaven (Philippi 3:20).  We must speak the language of heaven, wear the attire of heaven, and live by the principles of heaven.  This is what it means to be a faithful steward.

2. We Must Have the Mind of Steadfastness. Paul told the Christians at Philippi, that he wanted to hear that they were standing firm.  That is what God wants to hear about us.  There are many obstacles in our path because the devil, like a thief, is constantly trying to break into our Master’s house and steal His stuff.  But we must be steadfast!  When the devil tries to steal our time, talents, and treasures, we must stand firm in the faith.  That begins with having a mind of steadfastness.

3. We Must Have the Mentality of Fearlessness. The world around us is harsh.  As a result of this, we face being ridiculed, cursed, and even abused by the people of this world.  But we must continue to strive for the faith and refuse to be frightened by our opponents.  If we are to be faithful stewards, one imperative thing that we must possess is a spirit of courage.  In this world of opposition to the righteous ways of God, we will be scared from time to time, but someone has said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do.” Even Paul was scared sometimes, but he did not allow that fear to stop him (1 Corinthians 2:3-4).

Christianity is a call to stewardship.  The question is, are we faithful stewards?  If so, it will be demonstrated by our citizenship, our steadfastness, and our courage while watching the things that belong to God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.