Note: We're excited for you to hear from the heart of today's guest writer, our son-in-law, Brodie Hock. Enjoy today's devo!

Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.
(Matt. 25:21)

We all know about Shebna right?!? Okay, we don’t all know about Shebna. Actually, I had never heard of the guy until recently. Over the course of the last few years one thing I have spent a lot of time meditating and pondering is this issue of stewardship, more specifically what Biblical stewardship looks like. Not too long ago I came across a passage of scripture in Isaiah 22, and I encourage you to take a second to read verses 15-22.

Shebna was the steward for the palace of Israel. He was the administrator of all the belongings. He had been given the responsibility to manage what belonged to someone else (stewardship) and his obedience would be telling.

To give you a little background, God had already spoken, through His prophet Isaiah, declaring that Israel would go into exile if they didn’t repent. Israel refused to do so. Shebna chose pride and chose to not only harden his heart to the Lord’s word but also to exalt himself above his position. He defied the word of the Lord and set up for himself an extravagant tomb (sepulchre) indicating that he would perish in that land (contrary to God’s word).

Not only that be he was also misusing the resources entrusted to him so he could make himself a luxurious place of honor. Shebna was a perfect spokesperson for the Israelites in that season. He disobeyed the Word of the Lord and unfaithfully managed what had been placed under his control.

The Lord never intended for Israel to go into captivity, but through their lack of obedience, unwillingness to repent of their ways, and their lack of stewardship to what had been entrusted to them it was unavoidable. We see God is a good God who has good plans for us, but those things come into being when we have obeyed him, been faithful to him, and are stewarding well what has been placed in our hands.

Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.
(Matt. 25:21)

This isn’t an isolated scenario either. The Word of God is built on this principle. It is a sowing and reaping kingdom. Unfortunately, it seems to be a trend in some of the Christian world that we just believe God for things without wisely managing what he has already entrusted to us. We try to defy stewarding the gifts and resources he has placed in our care and then attempt to confess for blessings and expect them to come to pass. You can see through scripture that God wants to increase you but it comes through faithfully stewarding what He has given you in the now.

So, back to Shebna. We see in verses 20-24 what happened to Shebna. He broke the commands of the Lord and was unfaithful with his position and he reaped the consequences of it.

Getting Results
The reason I write this devo is two-fold. First off, I want to you to get everything God has for you. I know that when we do things God’s ways we can get God’s results. The second is a hope to awaken people to Biblical stewardship. I am a firm believer of confessing and believing the Word of God. But I am also aware that He wants to bless you according to the methods He has installed, and that is being faithful with those things that are in your hand now so He can increase it later.

He has laid the guidelines out on how increase (not just financially) will come, and even if it isn’t our preferred method He is God and we are not. Praise the Lord, He is a God who meets our needs (Phil. 4:13) and He is the God who gives us opportunities for increase (Prov. 10:4).

I’ll just leave you with one more verse to get you stirred up to be a faithful steward of what God is currently putting in your life.

To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
(Matt. 25:29)

Prayer: Father, thank You for opportunities to steward the things You have entrusted to me. I will be faithful with them and faithful to You! In Jesus' Name. Amen.