In 1971, when he acted as the Sunday School General Superintendent, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk in Manchester, England, about stewardship. Stewardship is defined in Gospel Topics as “the responsibility to administer or attend to the assignments one receives in a calling or to take care of those things with which we are blessed from God, including families, neighbors, and even temporal blessings.” In Doctrine and Covenants 58, we learn that faithful, just, and wise stewards will “inherit eternal life.”
He shared five “A’s” of stewardship. What were they?
- Acknowledge that God lives and He is the provider of all things.
- Recognize the Lord as the author of the principle of stewardship.
- Understand effective stewardship is accomplished in the Lord’s way after much effort.
- Accountability helps us be effective stewards.
- We receive approbation, or reward, for faithful stewardship.
This can be summed up in President Nelson’s own words:
As we acknowledge the Lord as our creator, as the author of the gospel plan, then we know we may accomplish successful stewardships in life. We will be accountable in time and in eternity, but we will receive the approbation of the Lord for our efforts that have been lovingly and willingly performed.
You can read President Nelson’s full address here. Which of his five A’s stand out the most to you?
Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
