Dear steward,
Success is ultimately a matter of faithfulness to God.
We will all give an account, and I for one want to hear that “well done, good and faithful servant.”
So I’ve been studying the stewardship parables.
Here’s what I’ve learned…
There are 3 characteristics of a faithful steward.
If you pursue these characteristics you’ll live a life that pleases God.
They can be summarized with the acronym DIG:
- Diligence
- Integrity
- Godliness
1. Diligence
Faithful stewards:
- Work hard
- Don’t delay to obey
- Seek out opportunities
Stewards aren’t lazy or complacent because they love the Master and long to do what pleases Him.
One of the most interesting things to me about the Parable of the Talents is that the master didn’t tell the servants how to invest.
Still the faithful stewards, “went at once and traded with them” (Matt 25:16).
Faithful stewards don’t wait around. They get to work.
2. Integrity
Faithful stewards keep their word.
Both the Parable of the Ten Minas and the Parable of the Talents start the same way:
The master leaves on a journey (See Matt 25:14; Luke 19:12).
When the boss is away there is always a temptation to slack off.
But Christians are to be honest in all our dealings, even when no one is watching because we know our Master is returning again soon.
3. Godliness
Good stewards are faithful because they’ve watched the Master faithfully.
The better you know someone, the more you can anticipate their expectations and needs.
We are able to be faithful to Christ’s wishes when we walk closely with Him
If you walk with Jesus daily through Bible reading and prayer, you’ll instinctively know what pleases Him.
The unfaithful steward, by contrast, didn’t please the Master because he didn’t know him, he didn’t trust him, and he didn’t care.
But if we long to hear that “well done, good and faithful servant.” We will strive to walk with:
- Diligence
- Integrity
- Godliness
Alrighty, let’s get into the rest of this week’s Roundup!
✨ New on Redeeming Productivity
✍️ How to Graciously Say No (3 mins)
How do you say no to a request and do it in a godly way? Here are 3 rules for giving a gracious no. I also made a video covering some of this same material.
🧑💻The Roundup
The B.A.R. Podcast Interview (25 mins)
I had the privilege of joining Dwayne Atkins on the B.A.R. Podcast this week. We talk Christianity and productivity, and you’ll also find out what my favorite kind of music is 😆
(The B.A.R. Podcast)
CPM: The Christian Productivity Movement (5 mins)
I really enjoyed this introduction to Christian Productivity by David Kaywood. If you are interested in this topic, this post is a great roundup of all the best books and resources on Christian productivity.
(David Kaywood / Gospel Relevance)
If You Find Listening to Sermons Boring, Try This (7 mins)
“We spend so much time listening to sermons, but it never seems to stick. Perhaps it’s because we haven’t prepared ourselves properly. It would be odd if your pastor turned up one Sunday with no notes and simply asked, “Has anyone got any ideas what I should preach on this morning?” But is that our attitude when we come to hear a sermon?“
(Mark Barnes / Logos)
Tweeted To and Fro: Surviving a Distracted and Divided Age (6 mins)
“Living in a turbulent time? Labor for unity. It will have a stabilizing effect. But how, practically, do we do this in the local church? How do we keep each other from being pummeled by the raging rapids of modern media? Here are two suggestions.”
(Matt Smethurst / Desiring God)
20 Quotes from Bryan Chapell on Working with Grace (3 mins)
A roundup of some great quotes from Bryan Chapell’s new book.
“If faithfulness to God is not our measure of success, then the world’s expectations will become our standard.”
(Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra & Bryan Chapell / The Gospel Coalition)
🖋Quote of the Week
“Stewardship isn’t a subcategory of the Christian life. Stewardship is the Christian life. For what is stewardship but that God has entrusted to us life, time, talents, money, possessions, family, and his grace?”
– Randy Alcorn
Resurfaced with Readwise.
👍 Something I Like
Ginkgo Writer
I’ve been messing around with Ginkgo Writer this week. It’s a really unique way to approach writing long-form content by breaking it down into interconnected notecards.
🤠 Pardners*
- Protect your soul with screen accountability software. Try Covenant Eyes free for 30-days with promo code “ROSE”
- Redeem your commute by listening to audiobooks from Audible. Listen free for one month.
- I use Freedom every day to block distracting apps and websites across all my devices so I can get more done.
*Pardners are paid classifieds or affiliate links that support Reagan’s Roundup. To enquire about placing a classified ad in Reagan’s Roundup, simply reply to this email.
⌛️That’s all for this Week
Hit reply to send me link suggestions for future issues or just to say hey.
I’ll see you next time!
– Reagan