Living for the Master's Well Done

Living for the Master's Well Done
Author: Becca Early, Foster WV Coordinator
Margin for More - Part 2
As believers, we are all called to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us: our time, talents, and treasures. Stewardship is not just about managing resources; it’s about living purposefully, and with an awareness that everything we have belongs to God.

In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul reminds us that our lives are not our own: “Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own; for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.”

This truth applies to every area of life. We are called to glorify God in all we do, whether through our physical bodies, the way we use our time, or how we serve others with the gifts and resources He has given us.

As we await Christ's return, the question is not if we will steward well but how. How are we using the time, talents, and treasures entrusted to us in a way that reflects the character of God? How do we live as faithful stewards in a world that often encourages self-centeredness and accumulation?

As a person who works in ministry, every day presents clear opportunities to steward my time and talents for the Kingdom of God. As the Foster WV Coordinator, I have a front-row seat to see how God can use ordinary moments to make an eternal impact. Even though these things are true, if we aren't intentional, we can miss how God wants us to steward opportunities like these.

Living for the Master’s “well done” requires intentionality and a heart willing to follow God’s leading.

Recently, my coworker Grace and I chose to take time to slow down, pray, read, and seek God’s direction for the ministry. This period of reflection and intentional listening was a significant act of stewardship. In a world where there is always a temptation to rush ahead with our plans, stepping back to seek God’s will is a vital step in ensuring that we are faithfully managing the resources He has given us.

Throughout those months, God opened doors within our local Child Protective Services (CPS) agency. I believe that because we took time to seek His guidance, we were able to steward our time, talents, and treasures in a way that not only serves the foster families inside our church but now allows us to serve the children, biological families, foster families and workers of CPS. This is a powerful example of how God honors our willingness to wait on Him and seek His direction. By aligning our work with His purposes, we can serve in a way that is impactful and in line with God’s heart.

1 Peter 4:10 encourages us, “Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.”

This verse is a reminder that the gifts God has given us are not for our own benefit but for the good of others and the glory of God. Whether you are serving in ministry or any other area of life, you are called to steward your gifts well. This might involve using your natural talents to bless others, offering your time to serve, or using your resources to meet needs. When we view our work as a way to serve God and others, it becomes an act of worship.

It’s easy to get caught up in the demands of life and forget the purpose behind what we do. But living for the Master’s “well done” requires intentionality and a heart willing to follow God’s leading. As we live for the Master's well done, may we always seek His guidance, trust His timing, and serve others with the gifts He has given us. Let’s live with the awareness that our lives are not our own, and that every moment is an opportunity to glorify God.

Recent

Archive

 2024

Categories

Tags

1 Timothy 4:3-4 1 corinthians 13 1 peter 3 1 peter 5 1 peter 3 tips Abraham Barb Bible Christ centered friendships Christ-centered friendships Christ Control David Deuteronomy 31:8 Elijah Gideon God's Word God's faithfulness God's will God\'s Word God\'s will God\\\'s will God\\\\\\\'s will Gods Word Gods name Gods voice Gods will God Good Samaritan Isaac Isaiah 41 Isaiah 53 Isaiah James 1:22 James 4:14 Jesus is coming Jesus Jonathan Josiah Live at Peace Matthew 26:38-39 Messiah Old Testament Paul Philippians 2 Psalms Romans 6:9 Saul Savior Scripture Significant Others Talented Word of God You Say a mother's prayer a mother\'s prayer a mothers prayer a new thing abandon abby conner absolute truth acts 1:8 acts 2:42-47 acts adam and eve adam etris adam adulteror adultery adultry advent alls well that ends well anchored andrew archer andrew angels sing anger anguish anxiety apostles appreciation archer arch are you prepared art of neighboring attributes austin michels austin authorities authority baptism sunday baptism barabbas barb banhart barb barnhart barnhart be a friend be still be strong and courageous be transformed beauty from ashes becoming fearless believers believe betrayal better neighbors better be brandy gibson brandy broken bronze serpant bruce lane bruce cancel culture cancel care carols celebrate others celebration sunday changes change character chestnut ridge church christian leaders christian life christianity christian christmas with the ridge christmas church defined church design church family church circles cleaning the temple clinging to jesus colossians 1:13 community compassion concentric circles conflict connection contentment courage coveting covet created for community crisis in israel cross crowd crucifixion cultivate the soil culture daughter death debt delaney desires deuteronomy 31:6 devotional devotion disagreement discernment do not fear do not steal doers don't panic don\'t panic do dual citizenship early church easter sunday easter eight commandment elderly elections election empathy encouragement end times endurance ephesians 3:14-23 ephesians5:21 eternal impact eternal king eternal life eternal security eternity etris exhausted extended family face to face faithful in the small things faithfulness faith false witness family of God family famous last words father fear less series fear less fearless fear fifth commandment finding first commandement first commandment foretold forgiveness forgiven forgive forgiving forsaken foundation four tips fourth commandment free from sin freedom freely given free friendships friendship friends friend garden of gethsemane generosity generous get ready getting along gibson gifts give thanks gloria godly leaders gods faithfulness good enough good friday good works gospel government grace and truth grace hill grace grateful gratitude great commission greed grief grieve with others groups growth hard heart haring he has come he will be called heart heaven hell helping hill holy living holy monday holy saturday holy tuesday holy wednesday holy week holy homecoming hondruas honduras honor hope huggins hurricane helene husband i do but do i ian young ian identity of God identity idolatry idols immovable in all things in christ inspired intimacy invitation israel jamie huggins jamie jill wargo jill john 8:1-11 john 8:10-11 john josh rhodes josh joy judas judgemental judgement judge katie lemley katie key relationships kim sheets kim kindness kingdom of heaven king kinsman redeemer know the truth la ceiba lamb of God lane language last supper leadership legacy lemley life light of the world light listening live generously living intentionally living water logos loss love one another love loyalty luke 10:42 luke 23:34 lust lying made new manna margin for more marriage matters marriage martha matthew 22:37-39 matthew 23:24 matthew 6:3-4 maundy thursday mediator melissa parker melissa mercy michelle lemley michelle trimmer michelle michels mikvah ministry mission trip missions money morality moses murder neighbor new family new testament new testatment new year new ninth commandment o holy night ourselves overcome evil with good palm sunday parables parable parenting parents parent parker passover lamb passover pastor tim haring pastor tim pastors pastor path of life peacemaker peace people of god people perfecter perfector persecution perserverance perseverance persistence perspective philippians 4:6-7 philippians pioneer point of church point possessions power of the past pray like paul prayer life prayer plan prayer pray prepare promises of God provision psalm 139 purpose quality time race read reconciliation recreated redeemed redeemer redemption reflection rejoice relationship with God relationships relationship relative truth religion religious leaders remember response rest resurrection retaliation return revenge rhodes riches roger sealey roger role model romans 12:12 romans 12:15 romans rulers rules running the race sabbath day sabbath sacrifice salvation sealey seasons second coming second commandment secure seek the truth selfish selflessness selfless separation sermon on the mount serve Jesus serve others serve serving others serving set free seventh commandment shame share the gospel share the truth sharing the good news sheep and goats sheets signs sing sin sixth commandment social media soft heart sower speaking the truth speak spiritual gifts spiritual leaders spiritual relationships spring cleaning stand firm stealing stewardship stillness still strained straining out gnats and swallowing camels strength submit substitutionary atonement succession suffering support surrender take time talents temptation ten commandements ten commandments tender heart tenth commandment ten thankfulness thanksgiving thanks the dishonest manager the good samaritan the lost coin the lost sheep the lost son the parables of jesus the persistent widow the plot the point of church the primary purpose of the church the prodigal son the purpose of the church the rich fool the sheep and goats the sower the talents the ten virgins the two foundations the wedding banquet the word of God the word third commandment thoughts through thick and thin throught thick and thin tim haring tim titus transformation treasure trials tribulation triggered trimmer trustworthy trust truth about people truth is truth matters truthiness truth two foundations two lies and the truth ukraine unbelievers uncertainty unclean victorious victory volunteer wargo wealth wedding feast weep what's the point? what\'s the point? what\\\'s the point? what\\\\\\\'s the point? what\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s the point? whats the point whatsthepoint when we pray who am i who i am who we are wife words works of God work worry wronged you are forgiven young