Have you ever held something precious in your hands, knowing it wasn’t really yours? Maybe you’ve borrowed a friend’s car or watched someone’s child for the weekend. There’s a different weight to that responsibility, isn’t there? You handle it with extra care because you know you’ll have to give an account.
This is precisely how Christian believers should view everything in their lives. Your home, your family, your job, your talents—none of it belongs to you. You are not the owner; you manage what God has blessed you with. God has entrusted you with His precious resources, and that is an incredible honor.
Believers are called to be faithful with what has been placed in their care. God provides; you manage. God owns; you serve. This perspective brings both humility and confidence—humility because nothing you have is truly yours to boast about, and confidence because the God who owns everything has chosen to trust you with certain resources. The house you live in, the children you are raising, the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet, the car you drive, and so much more do not belong to you; they belong to God.
If you truly believed that everything in your life belongs to God and that you are simply the manager, how would that change the way you handle your current responsibilities? Jesus provides clear direction through a powerful parable found in Luke’s Gospel.
What Does It Mean to “Occupy Until I Come”?
In Luke 19:12–27, Jesus tells the story of a nobleman who entrusts his servants with resources before departing to receive a kingdom. His instruction is simple yet profound: “Occupy till I come.” This is not a suggestion—it is a command that demands our attention.
The Greek word for “occupy” is pragmateúomai, {prag-mat-yoo'-om-ahee}, meaning “to conduct business with diligence, to busy oneself with work involving great energy and effort to produce effective results.” The word does not imply casual work but strategic management that increases what has been entrusted to the steward. When Christ returns, He expects to find evidence of your faithful investment in His kingdom work.
Why Does God Call Believers to Be Stewards?
God calls all believers to be stewards, not merely to manage His resources but to reveal their relationship with Him. Stewardship is a test of the heart—a divine invitation to participate in God’s ongoing work in the world.
From Genesis onward, humanity was created to rule and cultivate the earth under God’s authority (Gen. 1:26–28; 2:15). This was not a grant of ownership but a grant of trust. Everything belongs to God (Ps. 24:1), yet He entrusts portions of His creation to us. That is the essence of stewardship—managing the Master’s resources for the Master’s purposes.
Stewardship becomes the arena where faith turns into action and belief becomes behavior. It is not about God needing your resources; it is about God refining your character. As Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt. 6:21). What we do with what we have reveals who has us.
So why does God call believers to be faithful stewards? Because being God’s steward positions believers to be on mission with Him—a mission where faith meets spiritual formation. Stewardship proves the believer’s loyalty, purifies their motives, and invites them to join God in what He is doing.
What Are the Three Biblical Mandates for Managing God’s Mission?
- Occupy with Purpose
God has given each believer specific kingdom business to conduct. Whether it is prayer, giving, teaching, music, evangelism, or caring for others, these are not optional pursuits.
Your age does not exempt you from God’s mission. You never retire from the Lord’s work. Every believer has a purpose and a spiritual responsibility that demands active engagement—not passive waiting.
- Oversee with Faithfulness
God watches what we do in the shadows before blessing us in the spotlight. Luke 16:10 teaches, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.” The little things serve as a testing ground for bigger things. The servant was rebuked, not for having a small gift, but for doing nothing with it. God can multiply missional movement, but He will not bless neglect.
- Obey with Expectancy
Jesus did not say, “Occupy if you feel like it,” but, “Occupy until I come.” Expectancy fuels endurance. When Christians truly believe Christ is returning, their labor takes on urgency, and their trials bring clarity. Christ could return at any moment, and when He does, He is looking for faithful servants who have kept their faces pointed toward Heaven.
What Resources Has God Given You to Manage?
Consider what God has placed in your hands. Perhaps you are a parent, an employee, a teacher, or a neighbor. Maybe God has given you the gift of encouragement, hospitality, or practical service. These roles and abilities are not accidents—they are divine assignments.
Stop comparing your one pound with someone else’s ten pounds. Do not worry about what others are doing. Focus on being faithful with what God has specifically entrusted to you. Remember the promise of Christ:
“Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matt. 25:23).
I pray that each of you reading this will hear those wonderful words of Christ one day.
Missional Until He Comes,
Dr. David L. Sampson
Titus 1:3