Servants And Stewards

August 12, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Godly leaders should be secure enough to think of themselves as servants and stewards—nothing more, nothing less. And people in the church should look on their leaders as servants and stewards—nothing more, nothing less.

So then, let us apostles be looked upon as ministering servants of Christ and stewards (trustees) of the mysteries (the secret purposes) of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1 AMPC)

Q: How do I know if I am a servant?
A: People treat me like one.

Q: How do I know I have a servant’s attitude?
A: I don’t mind being treated like a servant.

Paul lived this out—Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other (1 Corinthians 4:6).

I closed the chapter ‘Secure to Serve’ in my book Shepherd Leadership like this—

     God wants to use you as a leader. He has called you to great things. Just remember that He does the calling and the equipping so that you can serve and shepherd others. It may be a prominent, noticeable position, or it may be an obscure position unseen by very many. It may be a position God keeps you in until the day He calls you home, or it may be a temporary position. A humbly confident leader doesn’t fight to climb a ladder nor strive to keep a position on a higher rung of the ladder. The shepherd leader is confident to serve where God places him, and humble enough to be moved, or even removed, as God sees best. But most of all, a secure shepherd leader knows that God’s desire for His leader in any position is a heart to serve others. 

Related posts:

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The Benefits Of Humility

July 11, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

(1) God allows the humble to know Him more intimately. For though the Lord is high, yet has He respect to the lowly—bringing them into fellowship with Him—but the proud and haughty He knows and recognizes only at a distance (Psalm 138:6). 

(2) God gives the humble help to overcome evil. But He gives us more and more grace—power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully. That is why He says, “God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace continually to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it)” (James 4:6). 

(3) God gives His favor to the humble. …Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility—as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you…. For God sets Himself against the proud—the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful—and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them, but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). 

The bottom line—God mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed (Proverbs 3:34).

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God’s Name On Me

March 11, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I have always been both intrigued and encouraged by the blessing Moses was instructed to give the the priests to pronounce over God’s people. 

Tell Aaron and his sons, “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.’” (Numbers 6:23-26) 

After giving this blessing, God then says, “And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27 AMPC). 

What does it mean to put God’s name on me? 

I think the Bible shows that it means—

I feel the heaviness of His holiness AND
I feel the security of His surrounding presence.

I feel the unapproachableness of His perfect righteousness AND
I feel the welcoming embrace of His atonement.

I feel how unworthy I am AND
I feel how worthy He is.

I know that He knows everything about me AND
I know He still loves me with an unquenchable love.

I know He is the holy Judge AND
I know He is the Forgiver of my sins.

I know that His Holy Spirit convicts me of my sins AND
I know the His Holy Spirit helps me get free of those sins.

What an inexpressible, overflowing-with-joy, irrepressible, unshakable assurance I have in my relationship with my Heavenly Father, through the work of Jesus Christ, and the assurance of the Holy Spirit. This is indeed a blessing that the no one else but my God can put on me! 

P.S. You may also be interested in another take on the priestly blessing in my post The Blessing.

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The Only Secure Foundation

August 22, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

My, my, my, how quickly things can change! Unfortunately, the constant changes usually lead to feelings of instability. Fortunately, Jesus told us the surefire way we could find the stability, security, and confidence we all crave.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Resources to go along with this podcast:

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Poetry Saturday—Praise To The Redeemer

October 23, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Prepare a thankful song
To the Redeemer’s name
His praises should employ each tongue
And every heart inflame!


He laid His glory by,


And dreadful pains endured;


That rebels, such as you and I,


From wrath might be secured.




Upon the Cross He died,


Our debt of sin to pay;


The blood and water from His side


Wash guilt and filth away.




And now He pleading stands


For us, before the throne;


And answers all the Law’s demands,


With what Himself hath done.




He sees us, willing slaves


To sin, and satan’s pow’r;


But, with an outstretched arm, He saves,


In His appointed hour.




The Holy Ghost He sends.


Our stubborn souls to move;


To make His enemies His friends,


And conquer them by love.




The love of sin departs,


The life of grace takes place,


Soon as His voice invites our hearts


To rise and seek His face.




The world and satan rage,


But He their pow’r controls;


His wisdom, love, and truth, engage


Protection for our souls.




Though pressed, we will not yield,


But shall prevail at length,


For Jesus is our sun and shield,


Our righteousness and strength.




Assured that Christ our King,


Will put our foes to flight;


We, on the field of battle, sing


And triumph, while we fight. —John Newton




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Poetry Saturday—How Firm A Foundation

September 25, 2021 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.



How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,


Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!


What more can He say than to you He hath said,


To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?




“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,


For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;


I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,


Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”




“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,


The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;


For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,


And Sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”




“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,


My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;


The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design


Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”




“E’en down to old age all My people shall prove


My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;


And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,


Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”




“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,


I will not, I will not desert to his foes;


That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,


I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!” —Richard Keene




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Thursdays With Spurgeon—Faultless

September 23, 2021 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.


Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.





Faultless  


To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 24-25) 


     I would rather turn to the blessings of which Jude speaks. He seems to ascribe in this doxology three blessings, at least, to the power of the Lord Jesus. The first is the ability to keep you from stumbling, and for this, I am sure, the highest praise is due when you consider for a moment the dangerous way. In some respects, the path to heaven is very safe. It is so as God made it. But in other respects, there is no road as dangerous as the road to eternal life. It is beset with difficulties. … One false step (and how easy it is to take that if divine grace is absent), and down we go! …  


     Only Christ has the power to take us into heaven. … Christ preserves His people though they have offended God and daily provoke His justice. And He does more, for He presents them to the King of kings in the high court of heaven itself! …  


     We proceed to notice the condition in which the saints are to be when presented—they are to be faultless—for our Lord never stops short of perfection in His work of love. … Our Savior will carry His people through this life, safe from falling, and He will present them, how?—faultless! … The righteousness of Jesus Christ will make the saint who wears it so fair that he will be positively faultless! Yes, perfect in the sight of God!


From Christians Kept In Time And Glorified In Eternity


Reading these stirring words from Charles Spurgeon, I cannot help but recall the equally stirring lyrics of this Edward Mote hymn:


My hope is built on nothing less


Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness


I dare not trust the sweetest frame


But wholly lean on Jesus’ name




When darkness veils His lovely face


I rest on His unchanging grace


In every high and stormy gale


My anchor holds within the veil




His oath, His covenant, His blood


Support me in the whelming flood


When all around my soul gives way


He then is all my hope and stay




When He shall come with trumpet sound


O may I then in Him be found


Dressed in His righteousness alone


Faultless to stand before the throne




On Christ, the solid rock, I stand


All other ground is sinking sand,


All other ground is sinking sand




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Thursdays With Spurgeon—Secure Forever

September 16, 2021 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Charles Spurgeon. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Spurgeon” in the search box to read more entries.


Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.





Secure Forever  


     Our first parent, Adam, lived in the midst of happiness and peace in the garden. Unlike ourselves he had no depravity, no bias toward evil. God made him upright. He was perfectly pure, and it was in his own will whether he should sin or not. The balance hung evenly in his hands. 


     But have you forgotten how on that sad day he took of the forbidden fruit and ate and thereby cursed himself and all of us! … When you recollect the paradise he left, the happiness and peace that have forever passed away through his sin, do you not hear the voice that says to you, as a depraved and fallen creature, ‘Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall’ (1 Corinthians 10:12)? Conscious of your own weakness as compared with your parent Adam, you are ready to cry out, ‘O my God, how can I stand where Adam falls?’ 


     But here comes the joyous thought that Christ, who has begun with you, will never cease till He has perfected you! Can you help singing with Jude, ‘Now to Him who is able to keep us from stumbling’?”


From Christians Kept In Time And Glorified In Eternity


When the devil says, “Your most recent sin made your salvation iffy,” you remind him what God says: “The strong love of My Son will hold you secure forever!” 


To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24-25)


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Known And Unknown Threats

July 27, 2021 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 



I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me (Psalm 120:1). 


What power and love is packed into this short verse! “I call…He answers.” There’s nothing else I need to do—just called to my God. There is no delay or deliberation on His part—He answers me. 


“Distress” comes from the root word that can mean a tight spot, or it can mean a hard pebble. The distress we face may be a full frontal assault or it may be a nagging, almost indefinable, annoyance. Since Psalm 120 is a Psalm of Ascent, whatever the distress is, the psalmist feels like it is keeping him from going up into God’s presence. He lists three known distresses: 


    

  1. Deceit—people around him were lying or distorting the truth. 
    2. 

  2. Separation—he wants to ascend into God’s presence but feels held back by those among whom he lives. 
    3. 

  3. Turmoil—he’s looking for peace, but everyone around him wants to stir up trouble and controversy. 
    4. 



What about those annoying, hard-to-identify distresses? In the next Psalm of Ascent the call is for us to trust God and to not worry. But in this psalm, there’s no calling to God for help because no specific threats have been identified. Still we learn that our Heavenly Father, who does not slumber, perpetually watches over us. Our Father knows our needs before we can even perceive them, and He is fully prepared to handle them. 


So we are promised: 


    

  • I can sleep securely
    • 

  • I can travel safely
    • 

  • I can work each day confidently
    • 

  • I can pass through the night unharmed
    • 

  • I can move around without having to look around
    • 

  • The LORD will watch over my coming and going both today and forevermore! 
    • 



Father, may any distresses I experience today send me ascending into Your presence. Whether I know what the threats are or not, I know that You are watching over me and will answer me whenever I call to You. I thank You for this confidence that I have both today and forevermore! 


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Security Beyond Comprehension

June 23, 2021 — Craig T. Owens 




Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.



Psalm 93 opens with these powerful words: The LORD reigns. 


Consider this: When we see the word LORD in all capital letters in our English translations of the Bible, we are reading God’s covenant name—Yahweh or Jehovah. This Limitless Power allows us to call Him by His personal name! 


How can our finite minds even begin to fathom this? Listen to the psalmist’s words—


The LORD reigns, He is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity. The seas have lifted up, O LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea—the LORD on high is mighty. Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns Your house for endless days, O LORD. 


You can almost hear this psalmist struggling to help us comprehend the majesty of God. But how does a molecule comprehend the vastness of a planet? Creation sometimes roars and sometimes thunders, but even that only shows us a small glimpse of the Creator. 


Do you see how established, orderly, firm, and secure this universe is? Even it had a starting point. Its Creator, however, has existed for all of eternity! 


Have you ever been to the ocean and felt the pounding of the waves and heard the deafening roar of the breakers? That’s barely a toe-tapping of the might of Yahweh.


In the closing verse of this psalm, we read these words: “Your statutes stand firm.” Jehovah has given us a way to begin to comprehend Him. He has given us His statutes. This God who is unlimited in power has given us words we can live by. We can rely on them because they are backed by this limitless God! His promises stand firm forever. Nothing can shake God or His Word, so that means nothing can shake me when I stand on Him.


Standing on God’s Word means we are standing on Limitless Love and Limitless Strength.


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