This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:1-2

In preparation for a meeting, a few weeks ago I was asked to evaluate my “Values, Beliefs and Personal Characteristics. One of those key characteristics revolves around several words – integrity, genuineness, reliability.  I always want to be considered a trustworthy person and I think most of us generally trust other people – unless they have given me a reason to doubt. And in that case, trust is difficult to regain.

In Paul’s first sentences of the fourth chapter of 1 Corinthians, he is establishing that he is a steward of the Gospel and that stewards must be worthy of trust. A steward is someone who has a responsibility to take care of something for another.  In Paul’s instance, he was responsible to be a trustworthy teacher of the Gospel.

A trustworthy person’s life is marked by a number of descriptive words: reliable, honest, honorable, ethical, faithful… What words would you add to the list? 

We expect our leaders to be trustworthy whether we are talking about government, church, work, or in the home, right? But what about our own level of trustworthiness? Can those same words be used to describe us?