Legacy By Dr. Brian S. Simmons

The Legacy of a Steward Leader

What does Scripture say about the legacy of a steward leader?

“How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands.  Their children will be successful everywhere.  An entire generation of godly people will be blessed.  They, themselves, will be wealthy, and their good deeds will last forever.  They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

Psalm 112:1-9

Fear of the Lord

The meaning, here, of the fear of the Lord is the idea of reverential trust.  The faithful steward leader trusts the Master, God.  While most earthly fathers generally want what is best for their children, God, our loving heavenly Father, always desires what is best for His children.  Beyond that, He knows what is best, is sovereign over all, omnipotent, and completely trustworthy! So, no matter what God brings into our lives or allows to happen, we can move forward with the certainty that as His stewards, submitting our wills to His will as Jesus, His perfect Son, did, is always best for us!

Obeying His Commands

Further, the faithful steward leader seeks to fulfill the purposes of the Master, God, for all He has SO graciously entrusted to the steward’s care. 

“But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve Him.  Think of all the wonderful things He has done for you!”

I Samuel 12:24

 “Love the Lord your God, obey Him, and commit yourself to Him, for this is the key to your life!”

Deuteronomy 20:30 

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do all that is commanded therein.  For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. “ 

Joshua 1:8

“Stay on the path God has commanded you to follow. “ 

Deuteronomy 5:33

“The Lord will work out His plans for my life. “

Psalm 138:8

Success

Success for the steward leader is measured by the degree to which he accomplishes the purposes of the Master for all that has been entrusted to his care.  God entrusts to the care of His stewards time, treasure, talent, and relationships.  Relationships exist on four levels: God, self, others, and creation.  Of all the Master has entrusted to the care of His stewards, relationships are the most precious.  And the closer to the center of your relational radius, the more precious these relationships are!  It follows, then, that as children and grandchildren are successful, the legacy of the faithful steward leader grows exponentially.  

Andy Stanley has famously said, “Life is a stewardship.  It is temporary.  You are accountable!”

Generational Impact

It is sobering to realize that our lives as stewards impact others.  As a grandfather, for example, I recognize that little ears are always listening and little eyes are always watching.  A particularly heinous lie of the evil one is that our lives are our own, and we can live as we please with no consequences. 

“Children are a gift from the Lord.  They are a reward from Him.  How joyful is the man who has a quiver full of them.” 

Psalm 127:3-5 

“May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.”

Psalm 126:6

  Lord, help my children and grandchildren grow to become fully prepared, devoted followers of Jesus Christ!

Wealth

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 

Wealth is material prosperity.  Wealth produces well-being. 

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33 

The context of this passage is that our Heavenly Father promises to always meet the needs of His children!

Good Deeds that Last

Deeds in the future will be categorized as either wood, hay, and stubble or gold and silver.  Fires of God’s judgment will determine what lasts for eternity and what does not.  Only two things we have with us today will last for eternity.  They are the souls of people and truth.  So, the faithful steward leader invests his/her life in people’s lives while boldly proclaiming the truth of the Word of God. 

Bad news

It is human to fear bad news.  The bad news is a person, thing, or message regarded as unpleasant or undesirable.  However, from God’s eternal perspective, we would always choose His will if we could see the end from the beginning as He does!  The bottom line is that His will is for our good and His glory.  So, the happiest possible life is the life of the follower of Christ living in the center of His will.  An eternal perspective tempers the emotions of the faithful steward leader when bad news comes his/her way.  It is important to remember that this world is not our home. (Hebrews 13:14-16)  Heaven is!  Trust God with everything!

Faithful Stewards Trust the Master

We have explored the truth that our loving heavenly father wants what is best for us. Only He can see the future. His plan is written in ink, so ours must be written in pencil!

Eternal Impact

Good deeds will be remembered forever. So, what makes deeds good? The degree to which they align with the master’s purposes. The faithful steward leader places service over self-interest. The faithful steward leader loves and serves God by loving and serving others. In the loss of one’s life for God comes great gain!

Conclusion

In light of all of this, in Francis Schaeffer’s words, “How should we then live?”

Schaeffer’s central premise in his seminal work on this topic is that we should base our lives on the truths of the Bible, on the infinite-personal God who is there and has spoken. This provides an absolute basis for living as faithful steward leaders. If we live this life, we will leave a lasting legacy!

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Dr. Brian S. Simmons is the Vice President of CIU Global and a Professor at Columbia International University. He exists as a visionary builder to further the kingdom of God through Christian education, teaching, and influencing others.

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