The Problems Stewards Face

A Biblical Vision of Faithful Stewardship – Part 2

Stewardship sounds like a noble calling—and it is—but it’s also difficult. In this post, we’ll look at why it’s so difficult. Scripture shows us that the problems we face as stewards fall into two main categories:

• Misery
• Sin

---

Misery: The Pain of a Fallen World

Misery is the suffering we experience in this life because of sin. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and He placed a curse on creation:

“Cursed is the ground because of you… by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread”
— Genesis 3:17,19

Before the Fall, there was no suffering. But now, we live with brokenness all around us:

• Cars break down
• Homes wear out
• “Moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19)

Misery makes faithful stewardship hard. We labor, but our efforts often fall short.

---

Sin: The Great Barrier to Faithful Stewardship

Sin is the second and deeper problem. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines sin as:

“Any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”
— Q.14, Westminster Shorter Catechism

Sin distorts the goal of stewardship, which is healthy, flourishing relationships—especially with God and others. But sin—ours and others’—gets in the way.

---

Three Sources of Temptation

Scripture reveals three powerful sources of temptation that oppose faithful stewardship:

1. The World

The world includes society’s systems and values that encourage sin. These oppose Christ and often pressure believers to conform:

“Do not be conformed to this world”
— Romans 12:2

2. The Flesh

Our own sinful desires fight against godly stewardship. We battle laziness, greed, and selfishness:

“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
— Matthew 26:41

3. The Devil

Satan, the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), works to deceive and destroy. He tempted Adam and Eve with lies (Genesis 3), and he still prowls today:

“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion”
— 1 Peter 5:8

---

Conclusion: The Struggle Is Real

Faithful stewardship faces real challenges—misery, sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil. But none of these are greater than Christ. He came to redeem us, restore our relationships, and equip us for every good work.

Keep going, steward. There is grace for the struggle.

Note: Generative AI was used in creating this post. First, I made an audio recording of what I wanted to say. Then, I transcribed the audio using TurboScribe.ai. Finally, I transformed the transcript into a blog post using ChatGPT, and used Grammarly’s Plagiarism Detector to ensure that it was free of plagiarized text.