Faithfulness is one of God’s attributes that is communicable, that is, it can and ought to be reflected in the lives of His children. However, as mere mortals, we can never emulate some of God’s attributes, such as eternality, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. But God’s faithfulness is one of those attributes that we can share and reflect. God is faithful. Therefore, God’s people should be faithful.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2). The word steward is οἰκονόμος (oikonomos) in the original Greek. The term means a “house-ruler,” a servant placed in charge of the master’s house. In Egypt, Joseph was the steward of Potiphar’s house. The steward was not the owner; he was merely the overseer and manager.

The Bible describes how Joseph was trusted and proven faithful when he served in Potiphar’s house. “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand” (Genesis 39:2–4).

The passage continues to describe how Potiphar did not even know all that was going on in his own house. According to verse 6, the Egyptian master so implicitly relied on Joseph except for “the bread which he [Potiphar] did eat”! Joseph was a fitting description of a “faithful steward.” The word faithful means that the steward can be relied upon completely, down to the minutest detail of daily operation.

A faithful steward is very hard to find. According to Proverbs 20:6, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” As stewards, like Joseph, we do well to remember that God is the Owner of all things, and that He has entrusted His resources into our care.

We are stewards of Creation

The first man, Adam, was placed by God in the Garden of Eden “to dress it and keep it.” Adam became a steward over God’s earth, and he received the divine mandate to take rightful dominion. “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

Even today, we are “stewards” of God’s creation! Of all mankind, the Christian should be the very best and most faithful conservationist. We care for our environment, not in the way that the evolutionists and humanists do—in a fearful way that sees man as the enemy. Rather, we should steward in a trusting way that utilizes the beautiful world that God has given us to enjoy, keep, cultivate, and preserve for future generations.

We are stewards of time

Our time is not our own. Every second that ticks by on the clock is owned by God. Therefore, our time should be carefully utilized for His will and His glory. When we realize that we are stewards of time, we will pray in agreement with Moses, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Whenever we “waste time” or “kill time,” we are wasting and killing God’s time! May God help us, as good stewards, to be found faithful in the way that we use every second of every day.

We are stewards of money

Money is one of the matters touched upon specifically in Paul’s discussion of good stewardship in his letters to the church at Corinth. All the money that we possess is that which God is entrusted to our stewardship. As taught in the parable of the talents, some people are entrusted with much, and some are entrusted with little.

The test of stewardship is not how much we have but how well we use what we have for the Kingdom of God. Paul instructed the Corinthian believers concerning financial resources and generous giving in II Corinthians 9:6–7, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

We should all carefully earn, save, invest, spend, and give according to the individual requirements and abilities that God has given us. Some may have a larger family, more financial responsibilities, and more needs than others. Some may have more assets like a large inheritance, land, or a successful business venture that allows them to give more to the church or to missions than others can. The simple requirement of stewards is that they be found faithful with whatever they have, however little or much.

Our Lord Jesus commended the good steward in His parable of the talents. According to Matthew 25:23, “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

May we all live as good stewards, striving today to invest in God’s Kingdom, to use our time, money, and all that we have for His glory. By His grace, every steward who is found faithful will one day hear those blessed words, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord”!