Faithful Stewards - 1 Corinthians 4:1-6

God calls us to be stewards of what He has given us. But we are also to be faithful to the truth of the Gospel and no to go beyond what is written in His Word. We are to diligently strive to maximize what God has given us, knowing that it is only He that will judge us, not anyone else. Others may judge the worldly things in our lives, but God is the one who judges our hearts. 

What are you working toward in your life? Are you doing it for the acceptance of others around you, or are you doing it our of love for the Lord? 

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1 Corinthians 4:1-6
¹ This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. ³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

⁶ I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.
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What is the perception that other people have of you? Do they see a servant or a good steward? Paul says that we are to be regarded as servants of Christ who are good stewards of the mysteries of God. Paul comes back to the basics of being a servant of Christ. The Corinthians seemed to be more focused on their own abilities and not the humility required to be a servant. 

Paul is not worried about what other people think of him. He knows that the Corinthians judge him, but Paul tells them that it is not the Corinthians or himself who judges, but it is God. We shouldn’t be worried about what others think if we are aligning our hearts and our lives with the will of God. Because when we do this and are faithful to God’s will and grace, then we will be good stewards of the message that He brings. A steward takes care of what is given, and when the steward is successful, they are considered faithful. Are we good stewards of the Gospel and the message of Christ? Christ is the master who drives the church, and we are humble servants to work together to progress his ship. Paul says that he is a servant to the master rower. He is free but still serves and works diligently for the master to achieve the end goal. Are we doing our part to take care of what is given to us and be considered faithful stewards?

Moreover, Paul points out that what really matters are the purposes of the heart. Only God can reveal what truly lies within our hearts. Being judged by others may hurt our feelings, but it is only God who can truly evaluate our hearts. It is for Him that we are to be good stewards and aim to please. This is done by submitting wholeheartedly to the His will. And we gain more understanding of this by reading the Word of God and applying those truths to our everyday lives. 

Lastly, we must have the appropriate outlook. We are to be humble servants, working together as a body so that the ship moves in the direction the master rower gives us, the direction that Jesus gives us in our lives. We are not to boast about ourselves or our own achievements because God has given us gifts, and we are to be stewards of those gifts. When we successfully care for and grow what God has given us, then we will be considered faithful servants. Remember to trust the Word of God for what it says. Don’t overanalyze and ‘go beyond the Word of God’ because this is where false doctrine may come in. But you must diligently read and study the Word to understand when false doctrine arises. Maintain a humble heart in all you do so that it is receptible for God to work through.