In Christ Jesus we have been forgiven of our sins, the debt that was in our account which testified against us, stored up under the former covenant when we walked according to the flesh; we were by nature children of wrath, born in trouble and for trouble; but now, having been cleared, God credits into our accounts gifts of the Spirit so that we would profit, being profitable through wisdom unto salvation, through the knowledge of the will of the Lord. The stewardship we have is to build up and to edify the church, and also bartering, trading and winning more, sharpening and being sharpened. Paul, being a master builder, never built on another man's foundation, but laid his own so that he may know for sure what kind the foundation is. Let us beware that we not build on any foundation other than the one that has been already laid: Jesus Christ, the Rock of our salvation, the firm foundation, and the Chief cornerstone. As it says, " If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each personʼs work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved — even though only as one escaping through the flames. " (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)
So know for certain: if we partake in the resurrection from the dead, the true one, the first one, then the second death holds no power over us. That means, we will not be raised to punishment, but to reward, for punishment holds no power to those who are perfected in love; as it says, " By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. " (1 John 4:17-18)
So therefore we can have confidence in that day and great assurance in the faith if we do; as it says, "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 3:13) And then it says, "Little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming." (1 John 2:28) Faith is not shaky, but confident; when we prove ourselves, we gain confidence. So prove yourselves. Prove yourself that you belong to Christ Jesus, always showing love to all people, especially to the household of believers.
If we are faithful with a little, we will be faithful with much; and to the faithful, Christ Jesus will put in charge of the nations (Matthew 25:14-30). For this is good stewardship. So take good care of what He has entrusted to you. In order to be profitable, you must "gamble". For those who play the slot machine spend some in order to win more. No-one plays to lose, but they play to win. I say, "Gamble" because not all machines are winners. You don't hit the jackpot everytime, do you? Is all soil good and fertile? Of course not! And if the soil is bad, the seed casted on the soil is wasted, although there is nothing wrong with the seed. Likewise, if we don't profit, the money is wasted; but if it produces a yield, we have hit the jackpot! A single coin can produce hundreds of dollar bills; a single seed can produce a hundred times at harvest. Do we know beforehand whether the soil is going to be good or bad? Surely if it produces thorns and thistles, we have a good idea. So " Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. " (Matthew 7:6)
God is sovereign in all areas - and much of His will is revealed in chance. He makes the lot fall, and He makes the soil fertile, He gives the seed its growth. We trust in Him as we operate in this dark world - for He is our Light. So take heed: if we refuse to build up our brother, and instead waste our seed, how are we any better than Onan, who fell into condemnation; as it says of him, " Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also. " (Genesis 38:9-10)
For he deliberately wasted his seed and did not build up his brother's house. As it says, "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)
So therefore prepare the good seed which the Lord God will give you. For your own seed is not good enough. Can anything be better than what God has provided? There is a bad seed which is called a lie, a false confession, a polluted spring. I ask: does a salesmen attempting to sell a car speak dishonestly in an ad? Maybe it's so; but the buyer will eventually come to see the car, and he will hate you, seeing that you lied to him; he will be angry with you because you wasted his time. He will not believe anything you say afterwards, even though you make many promises; he will scrutinize your company; He will think badly of all car salesmen because of you. He will say to himself, "Those car salesmen are no good! That company is dishonest, I can't trust any of them." Therefore, we should never make someone gamble when believing through us, but we ought to pour forth the truth in sincerity, casting forth our seed with tears that we may reap in joy. And we sell Christ - not that we sell Him who was freely given - but convincing others and telling them of Christ in truth - namely that He gave Himself for us so that we would no longer live for ourselves, but for Him who purchased us; for Christ Jesus was freely given for us to buy us back; we have all sold ourselves to sin, but God has purchased us by Christ. So if we sell Christ in this way, we will be fruitful. But if we do not tell of the cost of following Christ, we lie. If we tell of the cost and not about the grace of Christ, we likewise lie. Christ did so that we would do; and this is obedience to the truth. I ask: where is grace? And where is the power to do? Is it not in Christ? How can anyone do anything profitable without Christ? Therefore, we obey the truth in which we have believed. But I ask: How can anyone obey what they do not believe? Christ gave Himself for us, that we would be His possession, and that we would no longer live for ourselves, but live for Him who bought us. He has loved us and came down from heaven to redeem us. Our Master loves and cares for His servants, for His servants are part of His own body; and He has made the mind of His Spirit to dwell in us to remind us what to say and what to do.
And so our reward is based on our overcoming, on our doing; for we will be rewarded based on what we do; as the Lord says, "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (...)He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (...) To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. (...) And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations— ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’— as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. (...) He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (...) He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. (...)To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne. (...) He who overcomes will inherit these things (the new heavens and the new earth), and I will be his God and he will be My son. " (Revelation 2:1-3:22)
But beware! The one who did not do anything with his talent was cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:24-30). And the one who did not feed the hungry or clothe the poor or visit the prisoner did not receive the inheritance (Matthew 25:41-46); but the ones who did these things entered into life. Likewise David the Psalmist said, “The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.” (Psalms 18:20-24) And in another place he says, “The LORD judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.” (Psalms 7:8) So the reward is granted unto us, not merely by what we believe, but by what we do. For just as at harvest time, the harvesters seek not for leaves, but for fruit; for at the harvest, only fruit matters. And so, if we want to be rewarded by the Lord, today and forever, we must be obedient to His call; as the Lord promises, " Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)