Luke 16:2 – “And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.â€?

The first part of this verse applies to all of us, the second part will apply to each one of us before long.  Give an account of thy stewardship is a command addressed both to the godly and to the ungodly.

Yes there is the final accounting at the judgment seat of Christ, but how about now?

Think of Eli.  Let’s trace the events.  Eli’s family went wrong. I Sam. 2:12,17 – Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” The people went wrong. I Sam. 2:24 -”Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress.” Eli died. I Sam. 4:18 -”And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.” The sons died. I Sam. 4:17 – “And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.” The daughter-in-law died. I Sam. 4:19-20 – “And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.” The grandson was named “Ichabod” I Sam. 4:21 – “And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.” And the same verse declares the Glory had departed because the Ark was gone.

Let’s take a look at the cause of it.  You say the terrible tragedy of war is what caused it all.  This is where the boys got killed.  This is the news that caused the old man’s death.  This is what caused the chain reaction that caused the daughter-in-laws death.  No, my friend, it started a long time before that.  Listen, great heartbreaks start a long time before the tears start.  We need to be faithful in the small things of life if we are to escape the tears and heart breaks later.  It all started way back in I Sam. 3:13 -”For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.”

I’m saying that God visited him in his capacity of steward, and ask for an accounting.  And He awarded him in this life a heavy penalty for his unfaithfulness in not training his children properly.

Think of David.  He was a saved man but he was not found faithful in his stewardship.  Remember how grievously he sinned?  And from that moment on his family was full of rebellion.  His kingdom was in trouble.  And he went with broken heart all the way down to his grave.

So dear Christian friend, I say to you, give an account of your stewardship or you may carry the token of God’s displeasure with you down to your grave.