The Power of Stewardship

Over the past two weeks, we've explored the power of surrender—releasing our white-knuckled grip on control—and the power of stillness—stepping off the treadmill of perpetual motion to hear God's voice and lead from a place of fullness. Both of these require us to resist a deeply ingrained default: the belief that we are in charge.

Today's power builds directly on that foundation. Because before you can steward something well, you have to settle a fundamental question: Whose is it?

The Entrepreneur's Default Setting

If you've built something from the ground up, you know the feeling. The late nights, the risk, the sacrifice, the relentless problem-solving that goes into creating a business. You've bled for it. You've lost sleep over it. You've made payroll when you weren't sure how. You've pushed through moments when quitting would have been the easier choice.

So, when someone suggests that it isn't really yours—that you're not the owner but the steward—that can land as a gut punch.

We touched on this in week one: control is our default setting. It's the natural human posture, and it's especially strong in entrepreneurs. The drive to build, to own, to direct is part of what makes you an entrepreneur in the first place. It's not a character flaw. It's a feature that got you to where you are.

But here's the invitation: surrender is the countercultural superpower Jesus taught us. And nowhere does that invitation go deeper than in the question of ownership.

What if everything you've built—your business, your skills, your network, your resources—was never yours to own in the first place?

Owner vs. Steward: The Shift That Changes Everything

An owner asks: What can I do with what's mine?

A steward asks: What does the Owner want done with what He's entrusted to me?

That's not a subtle difference. It's a complete reorientation of how you make decisions, how you measure success, and how you define what your business is actually for.

Owners protect their assets. Stewards multiply them. Owners ask what they're getting. Stewards ask what they're growing. Owners answer to themselves. Stewards answer to the One who entrusted it to them.

This shift doesn't diminish your role. If anything, it elevates it. A steward carries tremendous responsibility—not for a pile of dirt, but for something of great value that belongs to the King. Your business, your gifts, your finances, your influence—these are not incidental. They were given intentionally, entrusted specifically, and they carry eternal weight.

The Parable of the Talents

Jesus told a story that speaks directly to this. In Matthew 25, a master prepares to go on a long journey. Before leaving, he entrusts his wealth to three servants—to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one—each according to their ability.

When the master returned, the accounting began.

The servant given five talents had put them to work and gained five more. "Well done, good and faithful servant," the master said. "You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things." The servant given two did the same—he doubled what he'd been given. Same response. Same reward.

But the servant given one talent had a different story. He was afraid, he said. He knew the master was demanding. So, he dug a hole and buried it. Kept it safe. Returned exactly what he'd been given. Not less—but not more.

The master's response was not relief. It was rebuke.

"You wicked, lazy servant!" Not because he lost it. Not because he squandered it. But because he didn't do anything with it.

The Question God Won't Be Asking

Here's what strikes me about this parable in the context of business and leadership.

God is not going to ask what you did with your power, your talent, or your business. He's going to ask what you did with His.

What did you do with the gifts I wired into you? What did you do with the opportunity I placed in front of you? What did you do with the business I entrusted to your care? What did you do with the influence I allowed you to develop? Did you multiply it? Did you invest it? Did you take the risk of stewardship—or did you bury it to stay safe?

The servant who buried his talent wasn't malicious. He was fearful. And fear—as we've explored in this series—has a way of masquerading as wisdom. He called his caution prudence. The master called it laziness.

This is the stewardship challenge for entrepreneurs: are you building a kingdom or burying a talent?

I remember once being told by a mentor that if my vision for my business wasn’t a little scary and beyond anything I could do in my own power, chances are it was not a Kingdom-aligned vision. Any strategy or plan that is possible in your own power is simply not big enough.

Stewardship Is Bigger Than Money

When we hear the word stewardship, we often default to thinking about finances. And yes, financial stewardship matters. But the scope of what God entrusts to us is far broader than our bank accounts.

Your skills and gifts. The ability to lead, to create, to sell, to build, to solve problems, to cast vision—these are not self-generated. They were wired into you. How are you investing and multiplying them?

Your business. Not just as a vehicle for income, but as a platform for impact. Who does it serve? What does it stand for? What could it become if stewarded toward Kingdom purposes?

Your finances. Yes, this too—but as a means to fruitfulness, not an end in itself. Money is a tool. The question isn't how much you have but what you're doing with it. (My last mentor used to remind me that my financial goals should be tied to how much I plan to give, and work back from there…)

Your influence. Every relationship, every platform, every conversation is an opportunity for stewardship. Who are you developing? Who are you challenging toward something greater?

Your time. Perhaps the most democratically distributed resource on earth. Everyone gets the same 24 hours. Stewardship of time is stewardship of life itself. If you want to honestly identify what you are prioritizing, look at your calendar.

Stewardship isn't about any single category. It's about fruitfulness across all of them.

Fruitfulness, Not Just Faithfulness

There's a subtle but important distinction worth unpacking. The master in the parable didn't simply praise the servants for being faithful in the abstract. He praised them for being faithful with something—for taking what was entrusted and producing more.

This is the difference between faithfulness and fruitfulness.

Faithfulness is showing up. Fruitfulness is producing something.

Jesus made this explicit in John 15: "I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last." Not just attend, not just believe, not just be sincere—but bear fruit. Lasting fruit.

For entrepreneurs, this reframes the entire purpose of your business. The question isn't just "Is my business profitable?" but "Is my business fruitful?" Are you producing something of lasting kingdom value—in your team, your community, your customers, your industry?

The Fear That Buries Talent

Let's go back to the third servant for a moment, because he deserves more than our judgment. He deserves our honest examination.

He buried his talent because he was afraid.

Afraid of the master. Afraid of risk. Afraid of losing what he'd been given. So, he chose the path that felt safest—and in doing so, chose the path that produced nothing.

Ask yourself honestly: Is there a talent, opportunity, or calling that you've buried out of fear?

The story in Mark 9:17-24 is a great example of us putting God on the same level as us. Our unbelief drives fear and doubt. Jesus reminds us that anything is possible if you believe.

Fear and faith both require you to believe in something that does not yet exist. It’s your choice as to which you choose. God can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine”! (Eph 3:20) Next time you think that something isn’t do-able, remind yourself that you have a God who created a universe. I think He can handle your problem. Provided you are obedient and in constant relationship with Him, you’re in good hands!

A business idea you haven't pursued because the risk felt too great? A generous impulse you've suppressed because you're not sure you can afford it? A leadership capacity you've held back because you don't feel qualified? A vision you've kept small because big dreams feel dangerous?

Fear buries things. Faith multiplies them.

Stewardship requires courage, because real stewardship involves risk. You cannot multiply what you refuse to invest.

Reflective Questions

Take some time this week to sit with these:

• In what areas of your business are you operating as an owner rather than a steward? What would change if you made the shift?

• What has God entrusted to you—skills, resources, platform, relationships—that you may be underinvesting or burying out of fear?

• If God were to review your stewardship today, where would He say "well done"? Where might He call you to more?

• What would it look like for your business to be marked by fruitfulness, not just profitability?

• What is one "talent" you've been holding back that it's time to invest?

The Weight and the Wonder of Stewardship

Here's the beautiful tension of this: stewardship is both humbling and liberating.

Humbling, because it means you're not the ultimate author of your success. The gifts were given. The opportunity was granted. The strength to build came from somewhere beyond you.

Liberating, because it means the pressure of ownership is not yours to carry. You're not responsible for outcomes beyond your faithful action. You're responsible for the investment, not the return.

Surrender what you cannot control. Steward what you've been given. And trust the Master to handle the rest.

That's not passivity. That's the most powerful posture a Kingdom entrepreneur can take.

The question isn't what you've built. It's what you've done with what He gave you.

This is part three of our February series on Finding the Right Power. Next week: The Power of Redemptive Leadership.

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