Serve in the Ministry (Part 2)
A steward in service of the King
===
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10 (NET)
===
The last of the Lord of the Rings books is titled The Return of the King.
Part of the plot is a descendant from the long lost line of kings returning to his capital city and taking up the mantle of the monarchy.
Who had been ruling his city for generations?
Stewards.
A lineage of great leaders who faithfully served as rulers of the city and awaited the eventual return of their king. They never sat in the throne, choosing to sit in a chair at the base of the throne, symbolizing their stewardship. The writer, Tolkien, was a very devout Catholic and poured Christian imagery throughout that series.
Anyway, I wanted to hone in a little on what it looks like to be a steward of the King.
Namely, that we are faithful custodians of the gifts while waiting on our King to return.
In the case of this verse, we should be taking care of God’s varied grace by serving one another with the gifts we have received.
These gifts are not ours to lord over others — just like the steward had no right to sit on the throne in place of the king.
We are to do our duty, serve the King faithfully, and build up the Church.
Good stewards are careful, considerate, not wasteful, and always keep the wishes of the king in mind when making decisions — not their own wants, but what the king would want.
And when the King returns, they simply give Him back what He already owns.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.