 Walking on a heavenly road I'm going to lay down. I'm going to lay down. So why don't you have no need to share nothing while walking on a heavenly road. Our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for the week that is going well so far. We thank you for your grace, mercy and love that continues to abide with us. We pray, Lord, as we spend some time reflecting on stewardship that you would speak to us and draw us closer to you because we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So this evening I'd just like us to share, or I'd like to share my reflections on stewardship. So as many of you know, I've been talking about stewardship quite a bit this year, last year as the Stewardship Director. So I've had a chance to just reflect again on stewardship. And stewardship, the Cambridge Dictionary says is someone's stewardship of something is the way in which that person controls or organizes it. And of course in our Christian context we are controlling and organizing that which the Lord has given us. So we're going to dwell quite a bit today on a story that we're very familiar with, found in Matthew 25, 14 to 30. And we'll just look at really some thoughts that I have on stewardship so far, my own reflections on stewardship. And I encourage you as we go along to also reflect for yourself what does it mean to be a good steward or what really does stewardship mean to you personally? And our key text today is taken from Genesis 2 verse 15 and it says, the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. That's really the whole essence of stewardship is that God has delegated to you and I. So the first reflection I have about stewardship is that stewardship is empowering. Wow, you know, as a manager or as even somebody who reports to the board, I know what it means to have authority delegated to me. And so what is amazing about God is that he trusts me to delegate to me the care of everything around me, the care of his earth, the care of my treasures, the care of my time and the care of my talent. And the thing about God that is amazing to me is that he just allows me to go about my duties. And he does not micromanage me. And you know, one of the things that we desire a lot as managers or even as employees or even as children sometimes, I've had my daughter say to me, mommy, you're micromanaging right now and God is not a micromanager. He has fully delegated to me. He trusts me. Stewardship is so empowering. I think sometimes when we present it, it seems like you have to do this, you have to do that, you have to do that, but I was just reflecting to say, my goodness, God has just said, you know, look, here is the garden, work it and take care of it. He does not tell me how to do it, when to do it, with which way to do it, with whom to do it. He just says, oh, Millicent, I trust you, go ahead and take care of that which I have given you. And apart from delegating, God has also invested in me. Can you imagine if you tell your children to do something and or write their homework and you don't even give them a pen, you don't even give them a pen, you know, or you're, in many cases sometimes you're working and you're asked to do something, in fact, the thing that comes to my mind is lift an elephant, literally, how are you going to do that? You don't have the resources, but God has given us resource and He has invested in us and so we have no excuse. And this is when we come to now Matthew 25, 14 to 30. I'll just read it for our consideration. The Bible says in Matthew 25, 14 to 30, for the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one, he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents and likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug it in the ground and hid his Lord's money. After a long time the Lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Look, I have gained five more talents besides them. His Lord said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, you delivered me two talents. Look, I have gained two more talents beside them. His Lord said to him, well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But the Lord answered and said to him, you wicked and lazy servant. You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers. And at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have even what he has will be taken away and cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So let's just look at some considerations. So while stewardship is empowering, we've been given resources. It has been delegated to us. God has made an investment. He says it is like a man going on an extended trip. That is what the message version says, you know, and he says, okay, to you I will give five, to you I will give two, and to you I will give one. And what is also amazing is that one of the reflections actually is that God gives according to our ability. That God really is not looking at some people like, wow, you are, you can do so much and that is what he delegates to you. And that is what we also do in our places or even at home. We know who can handle what and we assign them accordingly. And therefore, we do not have to compare with anybody. I don't have to worry about what Joanne is doing or what Peter is doing or what Elder is doing. Every one of us has been given according to our ability. So one thing is for sure that stewardship, good stewardship, rejects laziness. Because the Bible says that right off in the message version, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. He was given five, he came back with ten. The second one was given two, he came back with four. The last one was given one, he came back with nothing. So stewardship, good stewardship rejects laziness. And Psalms 50 verse 7 says, May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us. Establish the work of our hands. So stewardship is not so much about money as much as it is about work. Working with my talents, working with my time, working with my treasures. And the Bible talks, and I think it's a good text to read really in Proverbs chapter 6. Let me just go there. It's consider the ant, Proverbs chapter 6 verse 6 to 11, take a lesson from the ants. The new living translation says, new lazy bones, learn from their ways and become wise. So they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work. Consider the ant, it works without supervision. Good stewardship, anytime you see jobs advertised to say, we are looking for people who can work without supervision. Is it me? Good stewardship requires that we don't only work, but we work without supervision. The ant, that little ant has no prince, it has no governor, it has no ruler to make them work. And labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. Stewardship has an element of saving, you know. But you lazy bones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit, scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. So stewardship in my reflection is actually requires and rejects laziness it requires. Another element, you know, that I see here is that stewardship requires accountability. So sometimes, you know, and when you think about it really, especially if you're a manager, you are accountable. There's no, it doesn't matter how high you are. You are accountable, even if you're part of the shareholder, you are accountable to the entire team. You cannot expect that there will be no accountability. So many times we don't want to be asked. We don't want to be checked. But really the Bible is telling us that in the message translation, it's beautiful actually. It says the master was furious. He was upset with the servant who hid his one talent. And he said to him, that's a terrible way to live. It's criminal to live cautiously like that. If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. So the master will come for an account. And that's my reflection. And the good thing about God, as I said, he's not a micromanager, he's not checking every quarter. And most of us, if we work in the typical environment, we're supposed to account every month. We close the books and we say what is happening, okay? Every quarter, if it's a publicly listed company, they're supposed to publish to their shareholders, the owners, what exactly has happened. But yet in the church, or yet myself personally, I don't really want God to ask me any questions. Is that really being a good steward? So my reflection is that stewardship requires accountability. And that accountability, really, the good thing about God is that he has provided clarity. One of the challenges at work is that sometimes there's no clarity of the expectations. God is clear. He's clear. He's very clear on what his expectations are. His expectations are that we return a tithe and we give an offering. And the tithe, he has clearly said, is 10% of your first fruit, of whatever it is that you earn, okay? And then he has said, oh, the rest of it, you decide how you feel. What a wonderful manager. I was thinking to myself, 10% really in Kenya today, the lowest is 30%. And it is not, it's not discretionary. But God is saying, please do this as a sign that you actually value that which I have given you. And sometimes I was reflecting to myself, we sing, we give thee but thine own, whatever the gift may be, all that we have is thine alone. A trust, oh Lord, from thee. Then I asked myself, really, am I behaving like a trustee? Do we know who? A trustee cannot take, the trustee is that manage funds, that manage my pension funds, cannot decide what to do with my funds. They have to check with me. I am the owner. A trust, oh Lord, from thee. It was so interesting as I was preparing, I saw this, the next verse, as we normally sing just the first verse, the next verse says, may we thy bounties thus, as stewards true receive, and gladly as thou blessest us to thee our fast fruits, gladly as he has blessed us to him our fast fruits give. And then the third verse actually says, to comfort and to bless, to find a balm for war, to tend the lone and fatherless is angels' work, to see what she requires and accountability, accountability to God and accountability to the community around us, that people around us can see angels below. You know, sometimes you go through something and you feel like, my goodness, I think I met an angel. Do we want God to send angels from above? No. A good steward will actually be able to be angels down below. They're captive to release, to God the lost to bring, to teach the way of life and peace. It is a Christ-like thing, and we believe thy word, though dim our faith may be, whatever for thine we do, oh Lord, we do it unto thee. So again, stewardship really is a call to worship. And worship here is acknowledge that everything we have comes from God. And after we have realized that, then we are able to freely share it. So stewardship, as I've said, is empowering. I feel like, wow, if God can trust me, what can't I do? Stewardship rejects laziness. Stewardship requires accountability. Stewardship also kindles humility. Stewardship tames our ego, especially those of us who feel like, you know, we are all that. That's the way to say it. Our ego is the quality of, you know, taming of our ego and our humility is the quality of having a modest or low view of one's importance. Stewardship makes us really have to realize that we are not all that. And when we remember texts like Deutronomy 8, 18, the message version says, if you start thinking to yourselves, I did all this. And all by myself, I am rich. It's all mine. Well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors as it is today. Stewardship kindles humility. And that is why I think God, God in his wisdom, said, you know, return to me 10% and then give an offering so that we could not, we could tame our egos. Others will be walking around like, you know, what can this world do without me? Really, the world can survive without me any day. But yet I can shine Jesus light in the world and brighten a corner here and there and be an angel here on earth. Matthew 6, 1, 4. It says, be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be a good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don't call attention to yourself. You've seen them in action. I'm sure. Play actors, I call them. Treat in prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage. Acting compassionate as long as someone is watching. Stewardship kindles humility. It makes us modest. It makes us have a low view of ourselves. It makes us assist other people without calling attention to ourselves. This is true stewardship. It's really not about as much our money as much as how we act. Stewardship kindles humility and stewardship rejects greed. Humility leads to selflessness and rejection of greed. When you are humble and when you are in worship mode and when you recognize that all this is not yours, you are ready to share. And the Bible in Matthew chapter 6, verse 19 to 21 and 24, it says, Don't hold treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or worse, stolen by buglers. Stockpile treasure in heaven where it is safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be and end up being verse 24. You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you will end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and money both. So stewardship rejects greed. If I'm a steward, if I'm returning that which is the Lord's, if I am sharing with those around me that are needy, it makes me less greedy. And God is not against us having, He's just against us. He did not make us, He's given us all the earth as it is. We saw in Genesis 2.15 that He said, you know, here it is. Just work it and take care of it. But then He has then given us instructions to make sure that our ego is tamed. And as if that's not enough, then when our ego is tamed, we reject greed. When we reject greed, it even makes us more, more humble. So I was thinking, my goodness, how can I make sure that I don't stockpile treasures here where people will come and take them? Or when I disappear from the face of the earth, how will I have a legacy that outlives me? Something that people will say, oh, my goodness. Wow, look at those stories of Dorcas. People cried and said, please, please, please, please, she has to wake up. She has done this for us. She has done this for us. Let them testify, as we have said earlier, that don't create a theater of the things that you're doing. People will talk about it. Code stewardship rejects. Code stewardship, God is good. It reduces stress. When Jesus says to them, he says, enter into the joy. You know, when you are not greedy, you are humble, you are accountable, you are not lazy, and you are empowered, generally, you are happy. So good stewardship, as it is, it reduces stress. And when you share, it reduces stress. And when you remain connected to the box, in this case, God, you produce the fruit of the Spirit. The Bible says in Galatians 5, 22, 23, but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things. And interesting, in Matthew 6 as well, another lesson actually, Matthew 6 and Matthew 25 are good lessons, really, on stewardship. In Matthew 6, as the Lord is teaching the disciples the Sermon of the Mount, he actually goes on to tell them in 25 to 34, the New Living Translation, that is why I tell you not to worry. That's a good, when you're a good steward, it builds your faith because it's not easy when the government has taken 30% and then you have 10%, that's 40%. And your costs may be easily another 30%, it's 70%. And we want you to give freely from the 30%, it can be tight. You need faith. But the Bible, Jesus says, this is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear, isn't life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. And this is really the point, I mean, we need to look at the birds. If you look at the birds or you listen to the birds, you know, it's interesting. One preacher says, the birds have no worry. They wake up in the morning, they start making noise and they fly a little bit and poop, there's a worm and they pick it up. They are not worried. Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in bands for your heavenly father feeds them. And aren't you, aren't I far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Can all my worries, see what she produces stress? Because the Lord can all my worries add a single moment to my life. Can it make me, and it is not easy, I can tell you. Because as you're growing your family, as you're growing your work, there's a tendency to be very anxious, you know? So the good book says, you know, be anxious for nothing. But with prayer and supplications, make all your wishes at once known to the Lord. That is actually the second highest highlighted text in the kingdom. It is people are so anxious, stewardship, good stewardship reduces anxiety. It reduces stress. You know, the Bible says in verse 28, and why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies. My goodness. Look at the lilies. They look flawless. If there's a plant you should look at, even Google, because maybe you might not see so many in Nairobi, but just Google it and look at them and see how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing. Wow. And yet Solomon, Solomon, in all his glory, the richest man that ever lived, was not dressed as beautifully as they are. If you see a white lily, if you see a pink lily, it seems like it didn't even grow on soil. It looks flawless. And if God cares so wonderfully for wild flowers, literally, that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Why do I have so little faith, Melisandre? So don't worry about these things saying, what will we eat? If I am faith, if I return my time, if I share with these people who are needy, if there's a call for evangelism, what will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. But your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. So I ask myself, hey, these things sometimes can dominate my thoughts. Am I really a believer? If I'm a good steward, really, I should have less stress. I should enter into the joy of the Lord. Seek the kingdom, and verse 33 now, seek ye first the kingdom of God. And all these things. His version says, seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously. And He will give you everything. So seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And He will give me all these things. So don't worry, verse 34, about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough. So stewardship, it reduces stress. And as I was reading, I came across something so interesting. There's somebody who has written a book on kindness, the side effects of kindness. Can you believe it? Scientifically proven that kindness makes us happier. When we do something kind for someone else, we feel good, isn't it? Yeah, I see some people nodding their heads. When you do something kind for someone, you feel good. On a spiritual level, many people feel that this is because it is the right thing to do. And so we are tapping into something deep and profound inside us that says, this is who I am. Okay, the writer is called Dr. David Hamilton, you can Google him. On a biochemical level, interestingly, it is believed that the good feeling we get is due to elevated levels of brain's natural versions of morphine and heroine. I mean morphine, yeah. If you've ever reached that level of pain, you know what morphine can do for you. God forbid if any one of us knows what heroine can do for you. Which we know as endogenous opiates. They cause elevated levels of dopamine in the brain. And so we get a natural high, often referred to as helpers. So you don't need the heroine. You just need to be kind. Just do something nice for somebody. Good stewardship reduces stress. Kindness is also good for the heart. Acts of kindness are often accompanied by emotional warmth. Emotional warmth produces the hormone oxytocin. In the brain and throughout the body of recent interest is its significant role in the cardiovascular system. Oxytocin causes the release of a chemical called nitric oxide in blood vessels, which dilates that is expands the blood vessels. This reduces blood pressure. And therefore oxytocin is known as a cardio protective hormone because it protects the heart by lowering blood pressure. The key is that acts of kindness can produce oxytocin and therefore kindness can be said to be cardio protective. So when God is saying these things, you know, that don't hold it to yourself. You know, spread a little love, show some joy. He knows that it is good for us. It's good for our hearts. So holding, not being a good steward affects our hearts. And then we go and look for other ways to raise ourselves. And yet there is something called a helper's eye. Oh my goodness. And the best part for those of us who are aging, kindness laws aging. Aging on a biochemical level is a combination of many things. But two culprits at speed, the process are free radicals and inflammation, both of which result from making unhealthy lifestyle choices. But remarkable research now shows that this oxytocin that we talked about, that we produce through emotional warmth, reduces levels of these free radicals and inflammation in the cardiovascular system, and so slows aging at source. Incidentally, these two culprits also play a major role in heart disease. So this also another reason why kindness is good for the heart. There have also been suggestions in the scientific journals of the strong link between compassion and the activity of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, as well as regulating heart rate, also controls inflammation levels in the body. One study that used the Tibetan Buddhist lab in kindness, compassion, meditation, found that kindness and compassion did in fact reduce inflammation in the body. Most likely due to its facts on the vagus nerve. Kindness improves relationships. I mean that one, honestly, if anybody needs more elaboration of that, then there's a problem because definitely the kinder you are, the better relationships you have. This is one of the most obvious points the writer says. We all know that we like people who show us kindness. This is because kindness reduces the emotional distance between two people, and so we feel more bonded. It is something that is so strong in us that is actually a genetic thing. We are wired for kindness. The stronger the emotional bonds within groups, the greater were the chances of survival, and so kindness genes were etched into the human genome. Really, this is God. He made us already to be good stewards, not to hold, but to share. So today, when we are kind to each other, we feel a connection, and new relationships are forged, or existing ones are strengthened. And finally, kindness is contagious. When we are kind, we inspire others to be kind, and studies show that it actually creates a ripple effect that spreads outwards to our friend's friend to three degrees of separation. Just as a pebble creates waves when it is dropped in a pond, so acts of kindness ripple outwards, touching others, lives and inspiring kindness everywhere the wave goes. A study reported that an anonymous 28-year-old person walked into a clinic and donated a kidney. It set off a paid-forward type ripple effect where the spouses or other family members of recipients of a kidney donated one of theirs to someone else in need. The domino effect, as it was called in the New England Journal of Medicine report, spanned the length and breadth of the United States of America, where 10 people received a new kidney as a consequence of that anonymous donor. So kindness is contagious. The more we are kind, the more kindness we will see, and the more kindness we will cause. And this will just reduce, stewardship reduces stress. And finally, stewardship is rewarding, because we are all in it for rewards. Sometimes we are like, you know, you have said, bring it all in, and there will not be room enough. That's really not the essence of it. The reward that we will receive, some of it is in the land of the living. One thing is, one reward is diligence and discipline. So I know you are waiting for me to say money, no. Because remember we said stewardship is about work. And you cannot be effective in work unless you are diligent and disciplined. And not only diligent and disciplined in work, you cannot be faithful in your 10% and in your offering unless you are disciplined and diligent. Why don't you? It is not possible. So in the land of the living, good stewardship will make me tell it, because it will make me make a budget. It will make me consider. It will make me behave like the aunt. With no ruler, with no king, I will sit down and write for myself and say, I have 10 bull. I need to give one here. I need two, three will be taken away. I'll be left with seven. I have to give one. Then what about my mother? What about my community? What about my church? Good stewardship will make me diligent and disciplined. And I've already said, well, that good stewardship improves relationships. Because it makes you kind. And when you are kind, wow, it makes us kind to others every day. And when we are kind, it just causes us to love others and we produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Stewardship, I've already said, it makes us joyous. It gives us less stress. You know, when you're sharing, you're happy, you're not greedy, you're not hoarding, you have less stress. Stewardship makes the church and the ministries in the church effective. At the very least, it reduces the number of announcements we have to make to give, give, give, give, give. Because everybody is doing what? Giving. So I think it reduces the stress of the ministers and it will make the ministries more effective. It will make us go to unreached lands. It will make us, you know, it will make the productions that we have even better. And people want to know more about Jesus. But most of all, most of all, really most, when it's all said and done, we will inherit the new earth. We will hear the Lord say, well done, good and faithful. We will hear the master say, it is not easy. When I'm sitting in the office and the numbers don't look like, they should look like, I'm very anxious. Because the meeting is going to say, what are you doing? You said you would do this. I keep telling my team in the office that you know when your child is not performing well in school and they call parent teachers meeting, you are there for every meeting. And you are so mewad, you are so mewad. You're being told, this child, you need to have remedial. You have to do this, you have to do that. But when your child is doing well, you just go, you pass by, hi teacher, hi teacher. And you enjoy hearing from the teachers, this is a good child. And this is the reward of good stewardship. We will hear from our boss. We will hear from our master, well done, good and faithful servant. And we will enter his kingdom and receive eternal life. Ellen G. White says, those who accept the teachings of God's will, not to be wholly ignorant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet, I have not seen, no ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man that things which God had prepared for them that love him. Human language, she says, is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. We can't explain it. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the paradise. So don't worry about a little additional income here and there. Just imagine that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived that which the Lord has prepared for us in the new earth. So it is my prayer today that each one of us will make your own consideration, your own reflections. And you will feel empowered, my goodness. You know, we say, there's so much about especially empowering women. Don't worry. God has empowered you and has given you everything you need. That's what the Bible says. His divine power has given us everything we need for this life that we are living. So take up yourself, your talent, your time, your treasure, your temple, your whole self, and show the glory of God. And engage faithfully, diligently, disciplinely. Don't wait to be supervised. The master has delegated to us. He is not micromanaging. He has actually, it's like a man who gave, invested, and left. He's not there checking on you every 10 seconds. But he believes that you are capable, respond to that capability. Then become accountable. Become accountable. Just draw up your own scorecard and check for yourself. How am I doing? Really, when it's all said and done, will I hear the master say, we're a faithful servant? And be humble. Be humble. Even as we say, be humble, it's not easy to be humble. The only way to be humble is to reject greed. And the only way to reject greed is to live according to the guidance provided by God. And wow, if we do all these things, we will see our stress reduce. And one of these days, our Lord will bring us to a land that we have not imagined, we have not conceived. And no human utterance can describe. And he will call us to enter his kingdom. I pray that that will be our inheritance one of these days. Amen. Let us pray together. Our kind and loving Father in heaven, we thank you. We thank you for trusting us with management of this earth and investing in us. I pray, dear Lord, that we will feel empowered to do your work, that, Lord, we will work and reject laziness, that we will experience less stress as we are joyous, not greedy, as we share in that Father in heaven, one of these days, you will bring us to your kingdom. And we will hear the words we desire to hear well done, good and faithful servants. Forgive us in the days when we have not been faithful. Help us, Lord, to be like the servants who doubled at which you had given them. That one day when you come, we will present our talents, our treasures, our bodies, our temples, and everything that you have given to us that will bring glory and honor to your name. Who give us our sins, accept our prayer, and make us good stewards because we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.