All of us, Christians, have the responsibility to maintain and use wisely the gifts that we received from God. God wants all of us to be His collaborators in the work of creation, redemption and sanctification.

When a friend pastor learned that I am writing for this newspaper, he said "That's really your talent, sir. I heard from the 7th CRG CRSAFP that you're really a writer. Go ahead, Sir. Use that gift given by God."

So as stewardship has a connection on our creation, because as human beings, we are created by the same God who created the entire universe and everything in it. Therefore, we have to look after the Earth, and thus God's dominion. That we have to see to it that the land we live in is not to be exhausted or abused for short-term gains. Meaning we also have to take care of our environment.

God has created the world wherein we human beings have a special role as stewards of creation. This means we should look after the interests of the planet and all life on it.

This is also clearly written in Leviticus 25:1-5 "The Lord said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years, sow your fields, and for six years, prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year, the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest."'"

And as we look after the world for God, we build and establish living in harmony with nature.

In the gospel, Jesus illustrated a broader concept of stewardship, the "parable of the 'talents'," which refer to an amount of money but by implication and by common use of the word, our "abilities."

The message of being good stewards refers not only to taking care of the environment, but also a principled stand toward human as well as natural resources.

In the Scriptures, we can find the following traits of a good steward, namely trustworthiness, initiative and trusting the master's goodness, wisdom and sobriety, generosity of spirit, gratitude and respect, shrewdness and care of others.