November, 2017 | Rodney Howard Browne

Foundation Scriptures: Genesis 1:26
God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth.
Genesis 1:26 AMP

1. The lost sense of the Eternal.

Many people habitually think and act as if there is no eternity to consider

James 2:12 AMP – So speak and so act as [people should] who are to be judged under the law of liberty [the moral instruction given by Christ, especially about love].
2 Peter 3:12-13 AMP – While you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the [material] elements [of the universe] will flare and melt with fire? 13 But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide.
Isaiah 40:6-8 NKJV – The voice said, “Cry out!” And he said, “What shall I cry?” “All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
James 4:14 AMP – Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].
Psalm 39:4 AMP – Lord, make me to know my end and [to appreciate] the measure of my days–what it is; let me know and realize how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].

2. According to God’s Word, one of our main aims in this life is to prepare for the Next.

3. A steward’s primary goal is to be found faithful by his Master as he uses the Master’s resources to accomplish the tasks delegated to him.

God is the Master — We are the Steward.
Ownership:
God owns everything
We are the custodians of what He has placed in our care. We are to wisely administer and expand the Master’s estate.

Power:

All power is His.
We are accountable to Him.

Trust:

He entrusts us with possessions, authority and responsibilities.
We are expected to be faithful with what we are given.

Expectations:

He expects us to do what He asks and do what we can.
We are to work and be industrious – to give our best and do our best for Him.

Absence:

He is like the Master who went on a journey — He has left His estate in His servant’s hands—that’s you and me.
We must use wisdom as we invest the Master’s wealth and manage His estate.

Return:

He will return—it will be unannounced.
We should be always ready and waiting for His return.

Generosity:

The Lord is extremely generous.
We should never take Him for granted. Fear the Master and appreciate His blessings.

Standards:

God has set standards for us that are non-negotiable —there are no grey areas.
We should be single-minded in service. We will give an individual account to God for our own words and deeds.

4. Things we must seriously consider:

The long term significance of today’s behavior and choices (ours).
The inevitability of consequences for all of our choices and actions.
The weightiness of our responsibility to choose wisely and live rightly.
We have clear cut incentives and motivations—our eternal treasure and crowns.
We should place more importance on, and be more focused on, our responsibilities than our rights. Our obedience is more important and more fruitful than our temporary happiness.
N.B. Anyone else’s evaluation of the steward, compared to the judgment of the one and only Master, is meaningless. We are here to please the Master. No one else’s opinion means anything, or counts for anything, at all.

5. God owns everything: