The Rightful Ruler

If you’re a fan of The Lord of the Rings then you know Denethor. He is the father of Boromir and Faramir, two sons who were warriors in the story. He is also the Steward of the kingdom of Gondor. A Steward holds the position of ruling without the title of king. His responsibility is to do whatever is best for the land its and its people, to care for, nurture and invest its resources with the understanding that he doesn’t own any of it. He just stewards it. His responsibility to keep the land and its people well, until the rightful king arrives and takes full ownership.      Christians have the understanding that we are stewards of the resources over which we have a responsibility, but not full ownership. We get to use, to nurture and to supply those resources to the right places for the rightful ruler, who, in our case, would be Jesus. We have been given much and so our responsibility is great.      Some have money, some have love, some have patience, some have the ability to touch people’s hearts, some have intelligence, some have artistic ability and insight, some are creative writers, some are able to teach… whatever we have is a gift for our stewardship. As you consider pledging to the church during this season, as you consider simply what you’ll give in any offering, make sure you take the time to thank God for the gift of responsibility that he’s given to you. He has placed his resources in your hands according to your ability, and he has the excited anticipation of seeing what you accomplish with it. He is the rightful ruler who will return. We are the stewards, my friends. Blessings, Geoff