By Village Missionary Movement

Monday, 23-Mar-2026

Daily Devotion (English) – 23.03.2026

 

Faithful Stewards

 

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” - 1 Corinthians 4:2

 

An iron merchant had to travel out of town for an extended period. Before leaving, he asked a neighbouring timber merchant to look after his shop, to which the latter agreed. Upon returning after completing his work, the iron merchant was shocked. This was because, within his own shop, timber and wooden furniture had been stacked up everywhere. When the iron merchant, seeing this, asked, “Where have all the goods in my shop gone?” the timber merchant replied, “Ants have eaten away all the iron; therefore, I stacked up wooden goods here instead.” Immediately, the dispute was brought before the King. The King, upon hearing the case, remarked, “If ants have indeed eaten the iron, what could he possibly do about it? Let it go.” The iron merchant stood bewildered, not knowing how to respond. However, a thought kept running through the King's mind: he wanted to make the timber merchant realize the mistake of his ways. That night, soldiers secretly moved all the timber from the timber merchant’s shop an put it in the backyard of the iron merchant's home. The iron merchant stood there, perplexed and unable to understand what was happening. The next day, the timber merchant found his shop completely empty. He immediately took the case back to the King, accusing the iron merchant of being responsible for the loss. The iron merchant, now understanding the significance of the previous night's events, declared, “Rats have carried away all the timber and wooden furniture!” The timber merchant angrily said, “How could rats possibly carry away such things?” The King then told him, “Just as you accepted that ants could eat iron, you must now accept that rats could carry away timber.” Realizing his dishonesty, the timber merchant was punished and imprisoned by the king.

 

In this same way, our life in this world is a gift that God has entrusted to us. In this life, our home, assets, wealth, talents, status, and family all have been entrusted to our care. They do not belong to us; rather, they will remain in our possession so far, we utilize them responsibly. This is what the Scriptures refer to as "stewardship." If we act irresponsibly and negligently like the man who received a single talent or if we arrogantly claim ownership by thinking "this is mine" as Nebuchadnezzar did then these things will not only be stripped away from us, but we will also face judgment. Therefore, we define our "contribution" as the act of utilizing these resources for the sake of the God who bestowed them upon us. For when we invest what God has given us back into His service, His Kingdom is established here on earth. This is precisely what God emphasized when He taught us how to pray. Beloved, we are not the owners of the things entrusted to us in this world; we are merely their stewards. God alone is the true Owner. One day, we must render an account to Him. Bearing this in mind, let us dedicate the time, status, assets, children, and talents God has given us investing them for His sake and for the expansion of His Kingdom on earth thereby receiving His divine blessings. Let us offer as our contribution the very things we have received from the Lord, dedicating them to the work of expanding His Kingdom. He promises to give back to us in full measure pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing. Let us, therefore, step forward eagerly to give for His sake!

 

Prayer Point: 

Please pray that we may obtain the necessary government permits for the construction of the missionary training centre building

 

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Village Missionary Movement, 

Virudhunagar, India – 626001

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