Biblical stewardship = management in the workforce today

 Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. 

– C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

1.  The Principle of Ownership

Simply put, it is not your stuff!  Our world is consumed with the idea of ownership, possession and having a little bit more.  Perhaps Paul said it best, “What do you have that you did not receive?” 1 Corinthians 4:7.  Oh, you worked for it?  Well who made it possible for you to breathe, much less work?  Who gave you the talents and abilities that allowed you to get the job?  In all honesty, who got you the job? 

The more we take credit for what we have, the more we deny God’s part in our lives.  Since He owns it all, that part is a very large part.

Psalm 24:1
1      The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
(NIV)

It was His before creation, it was His at the time of creation, it has been His since then and it will always be His.  God owns everything; at most we are stewards, managers or workers serving His purposes.  That is true whether we recognize it or not.  Therefore, stewardship is the commitment of all of our lives, time, family, home, and work to God’s service.

The expression of God’s ownership is not limited to just the Psalms.  1 Chronicles 29:11-12 says it with equal clarity:

1 Chronicles 29:11-12
11   Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12   Wealth and honor come from you;
you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all.
(NIV)

God’s expressions of ownership and dominion are throughout the Old Testament and abound in the New Testament as well.  In Romans 1 at verse 20 Paul wrote that “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”  Ignoring His nature is even less useful than using an umbrella in a hurricane.  After all, He is God.

2.  The Principle of Responsibility

In examining this principle we run head-on into a great American tradition, or at least a strong modern trend, the idea that we have rights and we should hold fast to those rights.  It is almost a shame that the founding fathers of these United States did not precede the Bill of Rights with a Bill of Responsibilities.  In real life, every right has one or more corresponding responsibilities.  That is a literal life truth and a Biblical one as well. 

As Christians, we have an edge.  We know that our citizenship ultimately is in heaven, not here on this earth.  Paul wrote “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,” Phil. 3:20 (NIV).

But even with that, we have responsibilities here on earth.  We owe to Caesar what is due to him.  Matthew 22:21.  We also have responsibilities given us by God.   In Jesus’ Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 19:12-27) the master rewards those who are good and responsible stewards of the resources he left with them, and God punishes the one who did not.  Having is a responsibility in itself.  Do you just have for your own pleasure?  Decidedly, the answer is that you have “stuff” for far more than just your own enjoyment.  Start with the idea that you are to be faithful in the management of the authority and “stuff” God has given to you.

This goes far beyond your finances because it is a whole-life responsibility, although stewardship certainly does include your handling of money.  In the area of your time, stewardship means scheduling time to meet with God in the Bible and to pray – as an individual and as a family.  It is so easy to get busy.  Stewardship includes giving time to the family God has given to you.  It means being faithful and a servant to your spouse. Ephesians 5.  Stewardship also means making certain that the spiritual gifts God gave to you are used to serve God faithfully.  It means giving God from the first fruits of your earnings His part – and all you are able to give.  It means working at your job and at all that you do as “working to the Lord.”  Colossians 3:23-24.  And it means treating others as your neighbors because you are a steward over the relationships and people God has given you.  Luke 15:11-32.  Stewardship as a whole-life responsibility means being the “salt” of the earth and the “light” of the world Matthew 5:13-16.  And that only scratches the surface of a very deep topic. 

An excellent expression of our responsibility can be found in The Baptist Faith & Message confession of faith.  It states that “All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society.”  The confession adds “In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose . . . every form of greed, selfishness, and vice,” as well as “seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love.”

3.  The Principle of Accountability

This principle takes us back to the Parable of the Talents.  The steward who failed in his responsibility over what God entrusted to him was stripped of the talent he had been given. 

Similarly, we will be called upon to give an account of how we have served as stewards of the many areas of our stewardship; our time, money, abilities, skills, talents, knowledge, information, wisdom, relationships, family, work and even our opportunities.  We will all have to give an account to the rightful owner, God, as to how well we served as stewards. Our lives and our actions are being measured.

Given the fact that here at Idlewild it takes the time of over 200 members to bring in a new member, one area of accountability in our whole–life responsibility we might fear is in the area of witnessing or even inviting people to worship with us.  Areas of accountability are, like this one, very personal and highly dependent upon our personal situations and circumstances.  But note that Jesus did not give the steward an opportunity to attempt to justify his failure to manage well. 

Matthew 25:26-30
26     “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?
27     Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28     So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.
29  For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
30     And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
(NIV)

Is this harsh?  Perhaps by our “modern” standards it may appear to be harsh.  But that merely emphasizes the incredible weight of our responsibility and the high level of accountability each of us has.  What you have, everything, was given with a purpose in mind – God’s mind. 

So what are we to do?  It is a big task.  Start with examining your heart and your life, your time, your money, your heart, your work, your home, your family and your service.  That’s only a start.  Are you what God would call faithful?  Could you proudly stand before God as two of the stewards stood before their master and proclaim what you have done? 

But you are busy!  You are being pulled in a dozen directions and there is hardly time or energy left.  How can you find the energy to do a little bit more?  Always remember that the faithful stewards were given more.  If you are faithful, God will redeem the time, energy and effort you put into your service of stewardship responsibilities.  Matthew 25:28.

4.  The Principle of Reward

Work is hard. After all, that is why it is named “work” and not “fun.” Why work?  Is it only so you can eat, and have a life, a family and things like that? You likely are not going into work on a beautiful clear day because you just love the work. Take this thought to the next level. Why be a good steward? Actually, there are more and better answers to that second question than to “why work?”  First, consider who you are a steward for, who you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24
23     Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
24     since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
(NIV)

You have to love and respect that last sentence.  “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” 

Second, it is also what you are working for.  Randy Alcorn puts it as bluntly and plainly as it can be said in The Treasure Principle:

We obtain rewards for doing good works (Ephesians 6:8, Romans 2:6, 10), persevering under persecution (Luke 6:22-23), caring for the needy (Matthew 25:20-21), and treating our enemies kindly (Luke 6:35). God also graciously gives us eternal rewards for generous giving: “Go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21).

 

And that is only a very small fraction of the many times we are told of the rewards awaiting us.  In the Parable of the Talents at Matthew 25:21 the master said: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

However, it isn’t just about seeking rewards. Serving and giving and all of the aspects of being a good steward are the product of a changed life. 2 Corinthians 5:17. This is who and what you have become as a product of your new birth. Ephesians 2:10.

Your salvation is not a reward you are given for efforts, work or service.  It is a gift from God.  Ephesians 2:8-9. Randy Alcorn again says it well when he wrote “Belief determines our eternal destination…where we’ll be.  Behavior determines our eternal rewards…what we’ll have.”  We do not know the full extent or nature of those rewards but we have an exciting eternity ahead to explore them. 

Consider for a moment that everyone on earth has the same amount of time in every day. President or paper boy, housewife or executive, farmer or financier – they all have exactly 24 hours in each day, 168 hours in each week, 525,600 minutes in each year. Some people take that time and build relationships, dream dreams and make plans, cultivate their walk with God, develop new skills and live lives of adventure. Some people watch a lot of TV.

What differentiates people isn’t the amount of time available to them, but the manner in which they exercise their gifts and talents within the available time. We can waste time; we can spend time; or we can invest our time wisely. That’s what stewardship is about: faithfully developing and using our gifts, talents and resources within the amount of time God has allotted to us.

In every stewardship relationship there are two parties involved: the master who hands out the resources and will one day ask for an accounting; and the steward who is entrusted with the resources and must eventually answer for how they were invested. God is the master; he distributes gifts at his discretion. We are stewards, accountable to him for all that we do with all that we have. Michael Novak puts it like this:

We didn’t give ourselves the personalities, talents, or longings we were born with. When we fulfill these – these gifts from beyond ourselves – it is like fulfilling something we were meant to do…. The Creator of all things knows the name of each of us – knows thoroughly, better than we do ourselves, what is in us, for he put it there and intends for us to do something with it – something that meshes with his intentions for many other people…. Even if we do not always think of it that way, each of us was given a calling – by fate, by chance, by destiny, by God. Those who are lucky have found it.1

Do not rush through this thought. Herein lies the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship – the fundamental principle of all Christianity, in fact: We own nothing. God owns everything; we are simply managers. The Bible says, “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). 

As humbling as this sounds, we don’t bring anything to the table. It’s all God’s. This principle carries some heavy implications. First, since God owns it all, he holds the rights that come with ownership. Since we only have what we have been allowed to have, then we operate primarily in the realm of responsibilities. Hear that clearly: God has rights; we have responsibilities.2 God has entrusted us with certain resources, gifts and abilities. These things rightfully belong to him. Our responsibility is to live by that trust by managing these things well, according to his design and desire.

Another implication is that since God owns everything and expects us to manage things according to his plan and purpose, every decision is a spiritual decision. Whether it’s buying a new car or going to the movies, how we use our time and money matters a great deal to God. God demands to be in the loop on every investment, purchase and decision.

The Parable of the Talents

When Jesus taught about his second coming, he drove home one important lesson: Only faithful stewards will be prepared for his return (Matthew 25:14-30). The parable he used to make this point involved three servants who each received a dizzying sum of money from his master before that master departed on a long journey. This is not just an act of generosity; this is an act of trust. The master gave each of these servants the opportunity of a lifetime. This was their chance to prove themselves, test their skills and possibly rise to positions of greater influence and responsibility.

Upon his return the master discovered that two of the servants had invested the money, and that one had buried it. He took the greatest gift he would ever be given and buried it in a field, forgetting – or choosing not to believe – that the master would return. 

There are a couple of variables in this story. First, the master does not give each servant the same amount of talents. We don’t have to look too closely to see that this is just the way things are. Some people have gifts that are publicly celebrated. Others have gifts that are quiet and unseen. Not everyone is gifted in the same way, and that needs to be okay with us. It would be foolish for the one-talent man to pout that he was only given one talent. A talent was equivalent to 15-years’ salary! In a day when most people lived day to day, he ought to rejoice that he was given such a great gift. 

Jesus makes it clear that the size of the gift is not the important variable. The variable that matters is what each servant does with what he’s been given. While the first servant is given more than double what the second servant is given, they are both commended with the exact same words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness” (vv. 21, 23). In the final analysis, on the day of reckoning, the master will not ask why you didn’t invest someone else’s gifts. He won’t ask what you did with what you didn’t have. He will only be concerned with what you did with your gift.

When the servant who had buried the money began offering excuses, the master refused to accept them. Instead, he rebuked the lazy servant and punished him severely. Meanwhile, the faithful servants enjoyed the rewards they had received for their diligent labor. The master is generous beyond belief, but he is also going to hold his servants accountable. He will reward diligence and faithfulness; he will punish laziness. Here is perhaps the most sobering point of this parable: The third servant is not judged for doing bad things; he is judged for doing nothing. He did not lie or cheat or steal; he simply sat on his hands.

For some reason, we have gotten away from the idea that laziness is that bad. Historically speaking, however, sloth was listed as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Solomon Schimmel points out that sloth is a uniquely Judeo-Christian sin – the only one of the seven not considered a vice by Greco-Roman standards. This is because the Judeo-Christian worldview understands human beings to be responsible to God. Our lives are not merely concerned with self-preservation and self-promotion; we are stewards of what God has given us. To fail in this is a form of stealing from God.3

Leaders are stewards. They manage multiple resources because they direct others in using their own resources. 

Ownership Has Its Advantages

Let’s get this straight: God has no needs, and he did not create the cosmos because he was lonely or bored. Instead, the created order is the overflow of the fountain of love that has always existed within the triune Godhead. As stewards, we participate in a world that derives its being and sustenance from the infinite, personal Creator.

Psalm 104 is a rich poem, extolling the manner in which the created order displays the beauty and glory of the living God. It’s filled with expressions of praise, wonder and adoration. All things find their origin and nourishment in the mind and power of the personal and inexhaustible God:

Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty…. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved…. 

He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate – bringing forth food from the earth; wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted…. 

You bring darkness, as it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God…. 

How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures…. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

Psalm 104:1, 5, 13-16, 20-21, 24, 27-30

The Lord’s splendor and majesty are displayed in the heavenly bodies, as well as in the clouds, winds and lightning. God formed the earth with its oceans and mountains, and the water he provides sustains the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Earth’s stately forests and lush vegetation sustain humans and animals; and the sun and the moon differentiate day from night and mark off the seasons. The incredibly rich diversity and abundance of creatures both large and small are a continual source of awe and amazement. All things look to God for their existence, and when he takes away their breath, they die and return to the dust. “Who is like the Lord our God, the One who sits enthroned on high, who stoops down to look on the heavens and the earth?” (Psalm 113:5-6). 

Paul employs parallelism for emphasis when he says that “For us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:6).

He further addresses the Corinthian believers: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Jesus owns us both by virtue of creation and of redemption. He is the source of both our biological and spiritual lives. Humans are the apex of God’s created order, but we are still part of that created order. The practical implications of this truth should be evident. 

As we mentioned before, the creator has the rights of ownership. God is presented throughout the Bible as the Creator. In fact, the whole book starts with this simple statement: “In the beginning God created” (Genesis 1:1a). He owns everything that he has made, and he made everything that is. This has tremendous ramifications for how we live. 

If human life is simply an accident arising from millennia of human history, then we are free agents, accountable to no one but ourselves. But if we were created, then our Creator has full rights of ownership over our lives. These are mutually exclusive propositions. Either we are merely an accident of history and therefore completely at liberty to do whatever we want with our lives, or we are intentionally created beings who will be held accountable to our Creator.

If we buy into the very first sentence of the Bible, we must acknowledge that we are not our own. Our life is a trust given to us by God. We are not worthless or aimless. God has chosen to bring us into being. He did this in purpose, and we can only discover true meaning and fulfillment as we get to know the One who created us. John Calvin was right when he said that no man can know himself unless he first knows God.

When people start believing that they are meaningless accidents, human life becomes cheap. And if human life is cheap, it becomes disposable whenever that’s convenient. First the unborn, then the elderly, then the handicapped or others who are viewed as a drain – if they become bothersome, they become expendable. Where does that lead? Where does it stop? History has shown that it progresses to people who are the “wrong color,” the “wrong race” or the “wrong religion.” The most monstrous evils of our time have been built on the assumption that human life happened by accident.

When we open the Bible, we are confronted by God. He is the Creator, and he has the absolute rights of ownership over all things. Missing this is like misaligning the top button on your shirt – nothing else will ever line up. Nothing else in the Bible will make any sense or have any relevance if we miss the fact that God is the Creator and has full rights of ownership.

The Cultural Mandate

God has entrusted to us the dignity and responsibility of being stewards of the resources and creatures of this planet. When we shape, refine and creatively utilize the minerals, plants and animals that God has placed at our disposal, we are accountable for the results. Genesis 1:28-30 contains God’s stewardship mandate for the newly created man and woman, whom he had formed in his own image:

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Here is the first “Great Commission” in the Bible, also known as “The Cultural Mandate.” This is God’s idea for the human race: a call to establish human society all over the world. We are not to be subject to creation; we are to hold dominion over it. 

God’s command to “fill the earth and subdue it” (v. 28) has been realized to a far greater extent during the past century than ever before. For the first time in human history, we face the crisis of global pollution and wholesale destruction of irreplaceable resources (e.g., the rain forests). Much of this is due to human greed and presumption; people have assumed that the supplies of earth are inexhaustible and that we are free to use them for personal gain. Greg Johnson warns us:

Industrialization and the environmental crisis that accompanies it have given us a negative image of dominion – one divorced from our God-given calling. Dominion means more than filthy strip mines and smog. Dominion doesn’t mean rape and pillage. It does mean, however, that God’s world is incomplete without humanity in its proper place.4

As we have previously mentioned, Scripture cautions us that we really own nothing, that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). And again, God reminds us in Psalm 50:10 that “every animal of the forests is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” The creation is not here for our amusement. Its calling is the same as ours: to bring glory to God in heaven.

A steward manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and each of us must one day give an account for how we have used them. The basis for reward is faithfulness: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Our God-given dominion over nature is not self-regulated. We exercise our dominion under the watchful eye of the one who created everything. The mandate to establish civilization on the earth is for God’s glory, not our own.

The Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Stewards are expected to realize the maximum possible return on the resources which the master has entrusted to their care. In preparing his followers to be steward-leaders, Jesus told a parable that really caught their attention:

“There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg – I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

“So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

“‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred.’

“Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

Luke 16:1-9

This perplexing parable appears at first glance to encourage dishonesty. But Jesus enjoins us to mimic the steward’s shrewdness, not his dishonesty. Jesus commends the man’s ability to use his present and temporary power and resources to make preparation for what was coming. 

In Jesus’ day there were two primary words for “wisdom.” One word was sophia, which had a spiritual, pious ring to it. This is the wisdom which comes from above, resulting in godly character and conduct (cf. James 3:17). This wisdom comes through the grace of God (Ephesians 1:7), and is a beautiful thing. But the word Jesus uses here is phronimos, which meant cunning, cleverness, street-smarts. Jesus uses this word in Matthew 7:24 about the “wise” man who builds his house on the rock. It takes no special revelation from above to know that Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount form perhaps the greatest ethical platform known to man. It only makes sense to apply these teachings to our daily lives, thus the “wise” man is also shrewd.

We often see pictures of Jesus looking as innocent as a dove. But we never see pictures of Jesus looking as shrewd as a serpent. This reveals our failure to grasp his true nature. We tend to confuse being spiritual with being gullible or timid. But, in the Gospels, we find that Jesus had an earthy streak that didn’t look spiritual to people. This is one of the things that caused people to misunderstand him. There was nothing naïve about Jesus. He was completely realistic without a trace of cynicism. And he was totally innocent without a trace of naïveté. That still confuses a lot of people today, because we’re not accustomed to seeing that combination.

No parable can be interpreted correctly until its purpose has been identified. Before asking what a parable means, the reader must ask why it was told. The situation which prompted this parable is recounted in Luke 15:1-2. The Pharisees were attacking Jesus for eating with the wrong people. His answer to their charge came in the form of four separate parables, the first three of which are recorded in the previous chapter (Luke 15:3-32). In the parable of the steward (16:1-9) Jesus drew his conclusion. Stewards work hard and “smart” to please their master. But some go the extra mile and work “shrewd”! While it appeared to some that Jesus was working contrary to the Father’s wishes, he and the Father both knew that Jesus was working judiciously and discerningly (synonyms for shrewdly) on precisely those things which the Father wanted accomplished (notice the first sentence of 16:8).

Jesus made it clear that we are his stewards. We manage his resources on earth. Since leaders manage multiple resources, the stewardship role is especially applicable to them. Verses 8-15 contain the application of this extended passage. Read carefully from the standpoint of your role as a steward of God’s resources. The point of stewardship is that we manage what God owns (and he owns everything). He expects maximum return on his investment. Stewards work hard and smart. The best stewards are also shrewd. They look for the “extra” possibility to serve God well.

We who are children of light must use our power, resources and abilities to prepare for eternity. We do that in at least two ways. Primarily, we use our resources and abilities to make investments into eternal things (Matthew 6:19-21, 33). We win friends (specifically God and the people we love and serve) who can help us when we are helpless (e.g., judgment) so that we will have a comfortable place when we lose our job (i.e., when we die). Secondly, we spread God’s message, using whatever resources and skills we have so that others can prepare for the future as well. In this way we leverage the temporal resources of this world for the eternal treasures of the next by investing them in people.

The children of light (Ephesians 5:8) can be so naïve! We are afraid that if we are shrewd, we are being unchristian. We feel we should not use secular abilities or procedures in the work of the kingdom. But Jesus said, “Be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). We ought to be impressive examples of sagacity to this world.

This “shrewd use of resources” must also include our money, especially for Americans who have been entrusted with so much of it. The wisest use of money is not temporal pleasure, but eternal security. Present investments in the poor will be honored by God in eternity.

Stewardship in All Circumstances

In Genesis 39:1-41:57, Joseph provides us with a classic example of stewardship. His life is the ultimate good news/bad news story. He is his father’s favorite son, but that makes his brothers jealous. His father gives him a beautiful coat, but his brothers tear it off and sell him into slavery because of it. He finds a job working for a wealthy man who puts him in charge of his household, but his boss’ wife tries to seduce him. Joseph resists, but this makes her angry enough to falsely accuse him and have him thrown into jail. In prison, Joseph meets a royal official, interprets a dream and receives a promise of parole, but the official forgets and Joseph languishes in prison for two more years. Joseph’s life has more plot twists than an Indiana Jones movie.

We want to rush to the end, where Joseph is large and in charge, reconciled to his brothers, enjoying luxury, and they all live happily ever after. But Joseph models something more important for us. Stewardship happens in the meantime. Regardless of his circumstances, whether he was on an upswing or a downturn, Joseph utilized the resources available to him for great good. God was with Joseph, he was always put “in charge” (Genesis 39:4, 22; 41:41). From Potiphar’s house to the prison ward to Pharaoh’s Egypt, Joseph built others’ fortunes by managing their resources and managed situations well regardless of his own comfort. That’s what stewardship entails; and that, according to Matthew 25, is what leadership is all about as well. But of what, exactly are we stewards?

Peter Drucker asserted in Post Capitalist Society that knowledge is fast becoming our most valuable asset. Karl Albrecht (The Northbound Train) tells us that, in this emerging post-capitalist society, “one of the main jobs of leadership is to help people understand the contributions they can make.” Leif Edvinsson and Michael Malone’s book Intellectual Capital is subtitled, “Realizing Your Company’s True Value by Finding Its Hidden Brain Power.” In Stewardship, Peter Block consistently equates stewardship with a leader’s commitment to develop the human resources placed in his or her charge. This representative, and by no means exhaustive, listing demonstrates that today more than ever before leaders-as-stewards must cultivate their human resources. People are a leader’s major stewardship focus.

Joseph, Jesus and contemporary leadership gurus tell us that, as leaders, we are stewards of our greatest resource – people. A view of leadership that is consistent with the Bible will focus on what God deems important. And again, that is people. Whatever else biblical leaders feel responsible for in the name of stewardship, they must accept responsibility for the people God has entrusted to their care.

Biblical stewardship touches every area of our lives. It requires a basic commitment to present ourselves completely to God as his servants, with no strings attached. The real issue of stewardship is whether we are administrating our affairs and possessions as if they are ours or as if they are God’s. Our lives are shaped by the decisions we make, and there is no greater choice offered to us than surrender to the one who created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. The ultimate question, then, is this: Am I the lord of my life, or is Christ the Lord of my life? We will either labor under the illusion that we can control our own lives, or we will submit to the reign and rule of God. This is the difference between the great I will and the great Thy will. Whether we realize it or not, we face this decision.

MONEY IS A TOOL  

Contrary to what many are taught, the Bible does not say that money is evil. What Paul  actually wrote to his protege, Timothy, was, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which  while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with  many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10 KJV). Money is a neutral, dispassionate thing. It is simply a utensil for conducting commerce. But implicit in Paul’s warning is the capacity for money to exceed its boundaries and become a thing of which we are passionate and which, through misapplication, may control and harm us. 

God knows we have a need for everyday things—things we acquire with money. Neither the  money, nor, in most cases, the things it acquires are evil. Yet, they are subject to decay,  obsolescence, and theft (Matthew 6:19-24). Everything we have, including the ability to earn  money and possessions, comes from God Himself (Proverbs 10:22; Ecclesiastes 5:19) and we  would do well to remember to wWhom we are stewards. A steward is one who is responsible for the possessions of another. We are stewards of our lives, our time, our talents, our spiritual  gifts, and our financial resources. 

Good, wise stewardship is the primary principle the Bible teaches about money. For example, a wise person saves for the future (Proverbs 21:20), which requires discipline and forward vision. Money actually grows by good stewardship (no, not on trees), allowing money to multiply (Proverbs 13:11).The proper acquisition of money comes from hard and steady work (Proverbs 14:23; 21:5). Money is simply a tool, but even a hammer improperly used, can cause much damage.

MONEY IS A TEST  

“Money … is the root of all kinds of evil … “
1 Timothy 6:10

How we approach money—what we think of it, whether we simply use it or covet it, whether we  control it or it controls us—demonstrates clearly that money is a test. It tests our character.  And our character about money, like every other attribute of the disciple, must be cultivated  through spiritual discipline.  

Dallas Willard, in his classic book The Spirit of the Disciplines, describes frugality as a discipline of abstinence. I used to think the frugal person was a bit covetous and miserly—rather  Scrooge-like. But Dallas’ definition helped me see it as the means of passing the test of  money. “In frugality we abstain from using money or goods at our disposal in ways that merely  gratify our desires or our hunger for status, glamor, or luxury.” 2 

Many of the verses, parables, and lessons the Bible gives us about money, describe the  inspection of our inner character that money reveals. Do we really believe it is more blessed to  give that to receive (Acts 20:35)? If we do, then we would have to faithfully save and then  release some of our money.  

• How do we become the kinds of people who never boast in riches (Jeremiah 9:23-24); who  routinely and cheerfully financially support those who teach the Word (Galatians 6:6); who have  learned the secret of contentment (Philippians 4:10-13); who give excellently (2 Corinthians 8:7)?  
• How do we avoid being the greedy man/woman (Proverbs 15:27) and put to death greed and all its cousins (Colossians 3:5; Luke 12:15)? 
• How do we come to consistently serve the master of life and not be mastered by money (Matthew 6:24)? 
• How do we become the person who is more interested in contributing than collecting or consuming? 
• How do we give more than a check to satisfy our conscience? 
• How do we give ourselves and our ability to earn money to  God and His kingdom? 

The answer is fully trusting in the daily, moment-by-moment presence of God in our lives, as  we live in his present kingdom and draw upon his infinite resources. It requires coming to  believe and know that God values us, knows our circumstances, and promises to provide  everything we truly need according to his riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).  

Above all, it requires seeing ourselves as stewards (think manager) of another person’s  resources. We truly are managers of financial wealth, including its potential, and will one day  give an account to our master for how we used it. Remember, the word “talent” in the New  Testament most often referred to money, not just ability (Matthew 25:14-30). 

The frugal (wise) use of money is a service to God and humanity. When we are disciplined with money, we are “… free from the concern and involvement with a multitude of desires that  would make it impossible for us “to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God’ (Micah 6:8). It makes it possible for us to concentrate upon that one thing needful, the good part Mary chose. (Luke 10:42)” 3 

Money is first a tool, neutral and pregnant with potential. Then, money becomes a test; a test  of our character. We are responsible to control and properly use it. But money is always a  testimony. 

MONEY IS A TESTIMONY  

How we control or are controlled by money speaks loudly to those who would examine our  lives. Money exacerbates and illuminates our outer priorities and our inner character.  

We think well of the person who freely gives (even in their poverty) and poorly of the one who  refuses to see the needs of others. We instinctively know the motivations of the greedy and  covetous person—their attitudes and actions reveal their heart to us. 

Yes we often judge others on the observable surface. A person living in a good neighborhood, driving a nice car, with a nice job, and good family must be a good person, successful, and to be admired. Yet, another living in a humble setting taking public transportation must be somehow inferior. Sadly, this thinking can be found in the church today. The Jones’ go to your church and we can easily get caught trying to “keep up” with them. 

Jesus taught that God honors the widow’s two mites far greater than the rich man’s treasure. It  wasn’t the amount of money that mattered, it was the heart of the giver. The widow gave out of her poverty, trusting God for all her needs. The rich person, giving out of their wealth, trusted in money and missed the real blessing of giving.  

And don’t forget, John wrote, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in  need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17).  When we love God and love people, then we are freed from the love of money. 

PRESCRIPTIONS FOR FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP  

Dr. Richard Swenson, in his bestselling book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial  and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, provides 16 prescriptions for developing margin (the space between our load and our limits) in our  finances. I don’t have time to elaborate, so I will simply list them here. 4 

1. Travel in the Right Direction. Settling the issue of lordship is a mandatory first step.  The economic road is not and has never been the road Jesus called us to travel.  
2. Break Its Back. Money is very powerful. We must understand this and, with God’s  help, confront it. How? By giving it away. 
3. Counter Culture. Overcome the influence of culture. The world is not a benign force, it is a dictator. We must wrestle control from culture and set our orientation in the opposite  direction. 
4. Live Within Your Harvest. This is more than a strategy, this is a conviction, the kind  where you drive a stake and declare it so. Contentment and simplicity are invaluable friends in  this effort. 
5. Discipline Desires and Redefine Needs. We must distinguish between needs and  desires and be honest before God. Our true needs are few and basic: we need God, love,  relationships with fellow human beings, meaningful work, food, clothing, and shelter. 
6. Decrease Spending. Of the three ways to increase financial margin—decrease  spending, increase income, or increase savings—the best is to simply reduce our spending. 
7. Increase Income. Often obtained by increasing hours worked. Increasing more work  hours to increase financial margin, has a significantly negative effect on our time margin. 
8. Increase Savings. In the final analysis, the issue is not savings, but hoarding.  Moderate savings is probably acceptable to God and a good component of financial margin.  Hoarding, however, is never acceptable. 
9. Make a Budget. Simple. Necessary. Critical. 
10. Discard Credit Cards. If you are prone to impulse buying, cut up your credit cards. 
11. Don’t Mortgage the Future. The smaller percentage you spend on mortgage and  other associated housing costs, the larger your financial margin. 
12. Resist Impulses. If you want financial margin, don’t buy on impulse. 
13. Share, Lend, Borrow. We need to develop a new depreciation of things and a new  appreciation of people. 
14. Emphasize Usefulness Over Fashion. You have permission to not follow fashion. 
15. Fast. It is healthy to periodically separate from the things of the world and do without. 
16. Kingdom First. Jesus was distinctly unambiguous when teaching about priorities: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to  you” (Matthew 6:33).

MONEY OUR SERVANT  

Money is a tool, a test, and a testimony. We might think of a few more to add to the  alliteration. Money can be a terror, a tyrant, a teacher, and money is temporary.  

If we want to be good and faithful servants who enter into the joy of the master, then we must  be faithful over a little before we are set over much (Matthew 25:21). This is what is required  of us as stewards to be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). The disciple of Christ must become a  faithful steward of financial resources. Only then can they serve the one true master of life.

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(1) envoyfinancial.com article: Bible Verses About Money and Stewardship. Link: https:// www.envoyfinancial.com/participantresources/bible-verses-about-money-and-stewardship 
(2) Dallas Willard, “The Spirit of the Disciplines – Understanding How God Changes Lives”,  (HarperCollins, 1995), p.168 
(3) Dallas Willard, “The Spirit of the Disciplines – Understanding How God Changes Lives”,  (HarperCollins, 1995), p.169 
(4) Richard A. Swenson, M.D., “Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time  Reserves to Overloaded Lives”, (Navpress, 1992), p.173-182 

Stewardship is the care and management of that which belongs to another. And while we often speak of things as "ours," the reality is that all that we have and all we are belongs to another - God. As the Apostle Paul put it, "What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7). So it is from God that we have received our lives and everything in them for which we are responsible. Temporarily - until God requires them from us - we are stewards of these gifts.

Though too often associated merely with money, stewardship is something one can also apply to time, talent, and treasure. But stewardship isn't just about being a good manager of our schedules, our skills, and our stuff. The discipline of biblical stewardship calls us to use all these things in the way the Lord wants - to employ them for His glory. However, no one can be a biblical steward who doesn't first understand the gospel, the story of what God has accomplished through the life and death of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Creates Stewards

The gospel is infinitely more than a ticket to Heaven. It is a message that changes not only a person's destination in eternity, but also a person's heart and mind here and now. The gospel transforms more than a person's relationship to God. It also transforms a person's relationship to everything else.

For example, after the greedy Zacchaeus was converted, he said to Jesus, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much" (Luke 19:8). Today as then, the gospel of Jesus Christ turns lovers of money into lovers of God.

That's why one of the most reliable evidences of conversion is when a person begins looking for ways to use time, talent, and treasure in service to the gospel. This testifies to the value one places on the gospel, that they treasure the God of the gospel above all.

Sin makes us selfish and wasteful with all that we have and all that we are. But "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4) helps us to see that knowing Him is infinitely more important and valuable than grasping the clock and the dollar for ourselves. It causes us to find spiritual pleasure in using these things to meet the needs of others, and to enable them to hear the gospel and turn to Christ. Coming to know Christ through the gospel leads us to evaluate our resources on the one hand and the souls of lost people on the other, and say with the Apostle Paul, "I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls" (2 Corinthians 12:15).

Stewards Need Discipline

The discipline to steward our resources in an intentional, God-glorifying, gospel-driven way doesn't arrive fully formed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It must be cultivated. Stewardship must be a discipline, for there's always something else clamoring for our resources. Without discipline, our best intentions to use our time, talent, and treasure for the gospel will give in to circumstances and impulses, resulting in inconsistency or neglect.

In a sense, the discipline of stewardship is central to all other spiritual disciplines. If we don't develop a God-centered use of our time, for example, we won't consistently engage in personal spiritual disciplines like prayer or the intake of God's Word, nor will we participate faithfully in interpersonal spiritual disciplines like congregational worship or communion.

One of the classic passages on stewardship is Jesus' parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27). In it, the master rewards those who steward well the resources he committed to their care, and he punishes those who do not. Those stewards whom God rewarded as faithful were intentional about using the Master's resources for His purposes. God is pleased with disciplined, not careless, stewardship of that which belongs to Him.

What does disciplined stewardship look like? There are countless examples, such as scheduling time to meet with God in the Bible and to pray - as an individual and as a family - to make sure it's not squeezed out of your day. It's using your spiritual gifts to serve God and the gospel in your local church. It's designating a portion of money for the church each month before paying other bills, so that the use of your treasure is consistent with your most treasured priorities.

Discipline enters the stewardship picture because it is so easy to waste our time, squander our talent, and be careless with our treasure. But even the most scrupulous use of our resources is worthless apart from the gospel. For it's only through the gospel that we can receive eternal time in Heaven, glorified talents, and the richest of treasures - God Himself.

Foundational Truth #1: God Owns Everything.

We see this in the first part of the parable:

14Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.

There is no doubt that the Master owns the money. His servants used His money to generate real wealth. The servants didn’t go to the bank and invest their own money. They used the Master’s money to create profit.

This idea that God owns everything is also clearly stated in other passages in the Bible. Let’s read Psalm 50.9-12:

I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

Psalm 24.1 says:

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

If God owns everything, then it stands to reason that He owns your business, your money, and your wealth. He owns your house, your cars, your cabin, your season tickets, your investments and so forth. We may own things in the American, legal sense. But in God’s economy, He owns it all.

Christianity has some paradoxes. (BTW, a paradox is a seemingly self-contradictory statement that when investigated proves to be well founded and true.) We gain by losing. We become strong when we become weak. We become elevated through humility. The last shall be first.

God’s ownership of everything is somewhat of a paradox. You see, our culture highly values ownership and it encourages us to claim ownership on everything we can. It’s not like we need encouragement. You’ll see little children do this – they don’t need to be taught to claim ownership over a toy. They do it naturally. And we think by gaining ownership and control over things in our environment, we’ll gain the good life. We’ll find happiness. We’ll find financial security. We’ll find what we’re looking for.

But the way we experience God’s best for us is an apparent paradox: we release our ownership of what we have to God, and in exchange, we find the real life of joy and happiness. We gain financial security by giving our money away. We’ll find peace by trusting in God for our financial future rather than trusting in our investments. We’ll be more fulfilled when we buy less and give away more. We’ll be salt and light by helping others who are hurting. And our church will be stronger when we’re more generous.

America says that the good life is to be the master of your domain. But God says the great life is to be a steward in God’s domain.

So, to reiterate the first foundation of all Christian Stewardship is this:  God Owns Everything.

Foundational Truth #2: God entrusts to us some of what He owns.

Because God owns everything, He has the authority and right to the entrust care and feeding of that which He owns to anyone He chooses.

As a result, biblical stewardship views everything we have as an entrustment from God because everything we have is owned by God. Let’s look at the parable again – especially verse 15:

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.

The act of giving while maintaining ownership is the classic definition of entrusting. The master gave bags of gold to the servants, but her never relinquished his ownership in that gold.

Becoming a servant – a steward – of that which God owns goes against our natural tendencies. Our culture pushes us to be in charge, to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps. Don’t let others run your life. Follow your heart. Do what you think is right. Don’t let anyone tell you how you should live. And when we’re in charge, that’s living the good life.

But God says we can have a great life by becoming a steward. We can finally rest in God’s sovereignty. We no longer need to be burdened and work ourselves until we are weary. We come to God and He lifts those burdens. This is how we find the great life – we become a steward. And we steward well all that He has entrusted to us.

And it’s not just material goods which are entrusted to us. Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 2.4:

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.

Let’s not forget that God owns the Gospel too. This is why, when He decides to call people to preach or share the good news of the Gospel, He is entrusting that to them.  Now, entrustment of the preaching and sharing of the Gospel is a big deal. You’ll recall Christ gave us the Great Commission in Matthew 28 – to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything God has commanded. That is a huge entrustment to the church. God owns His commands.  And he entrusts them to us to teach to others.

Spreading the Gospel – making disciples – these activities are highly important in God’s economy. In Luke 16.10-12, these activities are called “true riches” and they are compared to worldly wealth.

10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

The comparison Christ is making is between worldly wealth and true riches. The contrast is between that which is temporal and that which is eternal. “Worldly Wealth” is temporal – it is the small stuff. The true riches of spreading the gospel and discipleship – those are the permanent, abiding, hence “true” riches.

The point Christ makes is that if you’re not trustworthy in how you manage “worldly wealth” – the temporal stuff – the small stuff – then how does God know you’ll be faithful if He entrusts to you the big stuff – true riches – of sharing the gospel and making disciples? To really boil this down to common English, the comparison is this: If you’re not living a life dedicated to God, why would God give you opportunities to lead others in becoming dedicated to Him?

The implication is that He’s not going to take that chance. IOW, we must first prove ourselves faithful in the small stuff – worldly riches – before He’ll consider giving us the more important, eternal and permanent work called “true riches”.

This ties intimately our money management and generosity to our maturity in Christ. If you’re not managing your money the way God would have you manage it – if you’ve not given God control of your all your money and wealth – then you’re not being faithful to Him with the small stuff – the worldly wealthy – and God cannot entrust to you the true riches of sharing the gospel and making disciples.

I’ve come to believe that the reason most Christians rarely sense God’s presence or witness effectively or are able to be mighty in prayer or experience a deep and abiding presence with God is because they have not been faithful in the small stuff. They haven’t been faithful to God with their money, so God can’t entrust to them true riches.

If you’re not being generous toward God, then it is likely you’re not feeling or sensing God’s presence. God won’t entrust to you true riches until you have surrendered your checkbook, your investments, your money, to Him. Until you see yourself as a steward instead of an owner, you will only progress so far in your walk with God. At that point, you’ll either stagnate or surrender. But you and I will never draw intimately close with God without first surrendering ownership of our wealth to Him.

Foundational Truth #3: God Gives Entrustments to Us Based on the Abilities He Has Given to Us

Let’s look at the phrase “according to his ability”

To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability

God gives us different abilities. Some of us create wealth by working for others – in fact, most of us create wealth that way. But some create wealth by employing others. We each have been given abilities in this area. One ability is not more important than another.

America says that in order to have the good life, you must believe in yourself and work hard to get all you can. America says you have no idea the power of your own abilities. So, we must strive hard to win. Accomplish all you can. And when you do, you have found the good life.

Now look, I do understand that if we get some confidence in ourselves and push ourselves, we can usually accomplish more than what we thought we could.

But God says you and I will find a great life by believing in Him and letting His Spirit energize us to do what He asks us to do. The great life is found in being faithful to God within our covenant relationship with Him. God gives us enough abilities to accomplish all which He calls us to do. And doing what God wants us to do is maximizing our abilities. American tells us to push ourselves until we have found the outer limits of our abilities. God gives us just the right mix and amount of abilities to fulfill His call on our lives. The great life is not found in discovering all that I can do, it is found in discovering all that God has called me to do.

If we are talented, it is because the Lord created us that way. If we are smart, it is because God gave us our intelligence. If we are creative—that’s from God too. If we have significant opportunities to create wealth, it is because the Lord has positioned us to do so. If we have been given significant wealth through inheritance, it is because the Lord has been generous to us. If we have a new product idea for a better mouse trap, it is because the Lord has given it to us. We learn to enjoy and celebrate our differences because within our covenant relationships with God and each other, we understand that together, we’re building God’s kingdom on this earth and preparing to reign with Him in eternity. And this collective effort requires different abilities.

So, we’ve learned so far that 1) God owns everything and 2) all that we have are really entrustments from Him and 3) He gives entrustments to us based on the abilities He gave to us.

But there’s more.

Foundational Truth #4: Stewards Know Their Master Well

Faithfully stewarding entrustments means we must know the Master’s heart – they know Him well.

The relationship of the first two servants with the master was substantively different than that of the third servant. The single variable between the first two servants and the third was their view of the master, which was derived from a varying quality of their relationship with the master.

Said a different way, the two good servants had a healthy relationship with the master and the third one did not.

We see this in how the third servant responded to the Master:

I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid…

But the Master wasn’t a hard man, oppressing his employees or taking wealth from others unfairly. He wasn’t a difficult man to work for.

Instead, this was an excuse the wicked servant offered in the hopes of covering up his laziness. Lazy people always blame others for their laziness.

 26His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

The wicked servant was so lazy he didn’t even make the effort to go to the bank and earn interest on the money, something which would have been easy to do. The wicked servant was just plain lazy. Had he taken the effort to get to know the master, he would have known what to do.

The application here is obvious: lazy Christians don’t pursue God and they are not faithful stewards. They don’t make even minimal efforts to know Him. As a result, they develop wrong ideas and impressions of who He really is. And Satan uses this to slowly, but surely, entice them to drift away from Him. Overtime, lazy Christians can switch gods and thus become unfaithful and leave their covenant relationship with Him.

Taking time to pursue God is a lost discipline in today’s evangelical circles. We so often portray God as some type of cosmic bellhop whose main interest is in serving us. But covenant relationships are a two-way street. God has already taken the initiative to connect with us. We need to take initiative to connect with Him.

People who live the great life do so because they are intentional in drawing close to God’s heart. They know God well because they take the time to know Him. They love the Lord and grow more and more in their love for Him. They avoid evil because they have set their heart on seeking God’s face. Faithful stewards know that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. They look to the Lord in times of trouble and they depend on His strength. They understand His spiritual protection which comes from walking closely with Him. They ask Him what to do in myriad situations. They know and listen to His voice. They confess their sins regularly and they delight in learning His law. They develop an intuitive sense of what God desires in a given situation even if they can’t point to chapter and verse. When they pray, you can sense the anointing of God resting on them. They love the fellowship of other Christians. Others are drawn to the Lord because of their walk with God. They enjoy the sweetness of His presence, the beauty of His holiness, the discernment of the Holy Spirit, the power of His protection, the leading of His voice. They feel His pleasure.

And there is nothing in this world they would trade for these true riches. They have traded the American good life for the great life which we can find only in our covenant relationship with God. And when you meet these people, you’ll also find they are generous toward God. To a person. Everytime.

Before we go on, I want to encourage you here. If you set yourself to pursue the heart of God, then give it time. I think you’ll find that He will give you His heart in proportion to how you allow Him to transform your heart. That’s my experience. God shows Himself to me as I allow Him to change me. And when I resist, He backs off. Then I re-engage and we reconnect. There is nuance here. And it is intimate. All of this takes time and the more you connect with God, the less concerned you’ll be about the time or the effort. Connecting with God is so worth it! You’ll be the man who sold everything he had to buy the pearl. So be encouraged. This is the great life that God offers us. To know His heart. What a joy!

Foundational Truth #5: If We Are Faithful to God, We will Reign With Him Throughout Eternity

Let’s look at the parable one  more time:

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

The servants who were faithful – what was  their  reward? It was two things:

There is this theme in the Bible which states, essentially, that if we are faithful to God – love and loyalty – until we die, part of our reward will be to reign with Him in eternity. And we will do so in His presence, enjoying Him and reigning over what He will entrust to us.

This thrust of reigning with Him is given to us in 2 Timothy as well: 2 Timothy 2.12:

11If we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him

Hence, what we do on this earth, both in activity and in drawing close to God are preparatory for reigning with Him in eternity. For a Disciple of Jesus Christ, our primary preparation on this earth is not to have a fulfilling career – as important as that is in many instances. It is, instead, to prepare to reign with Christ in eternity by being faithful to Him and learning to enjoy His presence.

If you want the great life God offers, then adopt an eternal perspective on everything you do. When we learn to hear His voice and follow His leading, we’re preparing to reign with Him. When we draw close to Him, we’re preparing to reign with Him. When we represent Him well to a lost and broken world, we’re preparing to reign with Him. Our perspectives of this life will change when we connect our temporal world to our eternal time with Him. The things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. This is the great life. And nothing this world offers can compare to it.

Today, we have learned that God owns everything. Therefore, everything we have is really an entrustment from Him.  But in order to steward well what He has entrusted to us, we need to know and understand His heart, His agenda, His intentions for that which He owns.

We’ve also learned that it is God who gives us  the ability  to create wealth. And if we remain faithful in our covenant with Him, then our reward is more of His presence and reigning over greater entrustments in eternity. What we do on this earth is preparatory for how we will spend eternity with Christ.

Last week, our stewardship question was this: Will you allow God to write fully His laws into your mind and heart?

The Principle of Ownership

 The psalmist begins the 24th Psalm with,“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

 In the beginning of Genesis, God creates everything and puts Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. It is clear that man was created to work and that work is the stewardship of all of the creation that God has given him. This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God owns everything, and we are simply managers or administrators acting on His behalf.

 Therefore, stewardship expresses our obedience regarding the administration of everything God has placed under our control, which is all encompassing. Stewardship is the commitment of one’s self and possessions to God’s service, recognizing that we do not have the right of control over our property or ourselves. Echoing Deuteronomy 8:17, we might say: “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But Deuteronomy 8:18 counsels us to think otherwise:

 “Remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”  The fact that we are managers doesn’t mean we merely preserve creation, like a park ranger. Instead, we are gardeners, cultivating the areas of creation placed under our responsibility. Your work is the area of creation God has given you to manage on His behalf. He’s given you the ability to steward it well. 

The Principle of Responsibility

In explaining responsibility, Peel writes, "Although God gives us 'all things richly to enjoy', nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we're responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, 'What about your responsibilities?' Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities."

We are called as God's stewards to manage that which belongs to God. While God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything He owns as His stewards, we are responsible to manage His holdings well and according to His desires and purposes.

The Principle of Accountability

A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities, and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and one day each one of us will be called to give an account for how we have managed what the Master has given us.

This is the maxim taught by the parable of the talents. God has entrusted authority over the creation to us and we are not allowed to rule over it as we see fit. We are called to exercise our dominion under the watchful eye of the Creator, managing His creation in accord with the principles He has established.

Like the servants in the parable of the talents, we will be called to give an account of how we have administered everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority. We will all give account to the rightful owner as to how well we managed the things he has entrusted to us.

The Principle of Reward

In Colossians 3:23-24 Paul writes: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

The Bible shows us in the parables of the kingdom that faithful stewards who do the Master's will with the Master's resources can expect to be rewarded incompletely in this life, but fully in the next. We all should long to hear the Master say what He exclaims in Matthew 25:21: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

As Christians in the 21st century, we need to embrace this larger biblical view of stewardship, which goes beyond church budgets or building projects, though important; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world.

We need to be faithful stewards of all God has given us within the opportunities presented through His providence to glorify Him, serve the common good, and further His kingdom.

1. earth.

 
Notice the following scriptures which refer to this matter of stewardship:-

1. (1) Every Christian is a steward. Look up these references and compare them –- Luke 19:13; 1 Corinthians 12:7 and 11; Ephesians 4:7; 1 Peter 4:10. If we are Christians then we are stewards and we are accountable to God.
2. (2) We may be good stewards or bad stewards. Notice in 1 Peter 4:10: “…“…administering God’’s grace in its various forms””. There are two kinds of Christians – spiritual and worldly (1 Corinthians 3:1-4); two kinds of servants –- faithful and unfaithful (Luke 16:10); two kinds of saints –- vessels which are honourable and those which are dishonourable (2 Timothy 2:20-21); and two kinds of stewards –- good and bad! Which are you?
3. (3) The period in which we are to exercise our stewardship is until the Lord comes. Look up Luke 19:13: “…“…until I come back…”…”, and compare 1 Peter 4:7 and 10, where Peter says, “”The end of all things is near…”…”, therefore faithfully administer God’s grace. See John 9:4 and 1 Corinthians 7:29.
4. (4) We must exercise our stewardship in the light of the coming of Christ and of the Judgment Seat of Christ. Compare Luke 19:15 with Romans 14:12 and 1 Corinthians 3:9-15. Every Christian will be rewarded or suffer loss according to whether he has been a good or a bad steward. If we lived in the light of this fact, how different our giving would be! How much more zealously we would serve the Lord if we remembered that we shall have to give an account before Him of the way we have served! –- and how differently we would view missionary work!
5. (5) The special characteristic of the steward’’s work is faithfulness. This is made clear in 1 Corinthians 4:2 –- compare Matthew 25:21. God will not reward us on the ground of our success, but of our faithfulness. We need to ask ourselves the question that God will ask on that day – – ‘Have you been faithful in discharging your responsibility towards Me?’’
6. (6) The special mark of the steward’’s life and character is blamelessness. Study Titus 1:7-9. God does not expect us or provide for us to be perfect or without fault in this life, but He requires us to be blameless. There is all the difference between being blameless and being faultless; thank God that, by His grace, we may and should live blamelessly!
7. (7) Faithfulness in our stewardship here qualifies us for greater responsibilities in service in the life to come. Look up Luke 19:16-17. When He comes again “and so we will be with the Lord for ever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17), our service will not end, it will just be the beginning. All our service here is a preparation for our service there (Revelation 22:3). May God make us good stewards!

Leviticus 27:30-32:              Basis of the Tithe

Deuteronomy 16:17:            Give as Blessed

Matthew 6:31-34:                 First Things First

Matthew 22:34-40:               Two Commandments

Matthew 25:14-30:               Parable of the Talents

Mark 10:17-25:                      The Widow’s Giving

Mark 12:41-44:                      Riches

Luke 10:25-37:                     The Good Samaritan

Luke 12:32-34:                     Where Your Treasure is… and Heart

Luke 16:                                 Faithful Stewardship

Luke 18:9-14:                        The Pharisee and Tax Collector

John 15:12-17:                     Jesus’ Disciples Called Friends

Romans 12:1:                       Offer Yourself to God

1 Corinthians                        16:1-2: Money Raised to Help God’s People

2 Corinthians 5:16—6:2:    Working Together with Christ

2 Corinthians 8:1-12:          Appeal for Generosity

2 Corinthians 9:6-15:          Principles of Generosity

Ephesians2:1-10:                Created for Good Works

1 Peter 1:3-5:                        Born Anew

1 Peter 2:9-10:                      God’s Own People

1 John 4:13-21:                    We Love Because of God’s Love

Principle Topical of the Passages on Stewardship 

Accountability to God

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. 1 Corinthians 4:5

• Exodus 20:1-2
• Psalm 2:11-12
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
• Matthew 5:48
• Luke 12:35-48
• Romans 14:10-12
• 1 Corinthians 4:5  

Contentment to the faith

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

• Ecclesiastes 5:19 
• Luke 3:10-14
• Luke 18:18-22
• Philippians 4:10-14
• 1 Timothy 6:6-10  

Giving both generously and joyfully

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 1 Chronicles 29:14

• Exodus 25:2
• 2 Kings 12:4
• 2 Chronicles 24:10
• Psalm 37:21
• Proverbs 21:26b
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-15
• 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 11-13
• 1 Timothy 6:18-19  

Giving God the “firstfruits,” not the leftovers

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops. Proverbs 3:9

• Exodus 23:19a
• Deuteronomy 18:4  
• Numbers 18:29-30, 32 
• Ezekiel 20:40 
• Ezekiel 44:30  

Giving according to ones means

The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. Acts 11:29

• Deuteronomy 16:16b-17
• Mark 12:41-44
• 1 Corinthians 16:2
• 2 Corinthians 8:12-14  

Giving as called

Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:21

• Mark 12:17
• Luke 20:25
• Exodus 30:11-16
• Malachi 3:8-10
• 1 Corinthians 16:2
• Ephesians 4:28  

Giving out of gratitude

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2

• Deuteronomy 26:9-10
• 1 Chronicles 29:14
• Matthew 10:8  

Giving out of love

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

• 2 Corinthians 9:7  

Giving regularly

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Deuteronomy 14:22

• Exodus 29:27-28
• 1 Corinthians 16:2  

Giving that displeases God

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem. Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar. Psalm 51:16-19

• 1 Samuel 15:21-22
• Isaiah 1:10-17
• Amos 5:21-24  

Giving to the Lord’s work

Give the money for the redemption of the additional Israelites to Aaron and his sons. Numbers 3:48

• 2 Kings 4:8-10
• 1 Chronicles 29:1-9
• Matthew 10:10
• 2 Corinthians 9:1-5
• Galatians 6:6
• Philippians 4:15-18
• 1 Timothy 5:17-18  

Giving to those in need

He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. Proverbs 19:17

• Deuteronomy 15:7-11
• Deuteronomy 26:12
• Proverbs 14:21, 31
• Proverbs 28:27
• Isaiah 58:6-9
• Matthew 19:21
• Luke 10:33-35
• Luke 12:33
• Acts 4:32-35
• Romans 12:13
• Galatians 2:10
• Ephesians 4:28
• 1 Timothy 5:3-4
• James 1:27
• 1 John 3:17  

Giving unpretentiously and eternally

• Matthew 6:1-4

Giving with priorities in mind

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

• Matthew 6:19-21, 24
• Luke 12:33-34  

Giving with misguided motives

If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3

• Matthew 6:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 9:5  

Realizing God owns everything

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Psalm 24:1-2

• Leviticus 25:23
• 1 Chronicles 29:11-18
• Psalm 50:10-12
• Haggai 2:8
• Romans 11:35-36
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  

The generous nature of God

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

• Exodus 34:6-7
• Psalm 33:5, 18-22
• Psalm 64:9-13
• Luke 15:22-24
• Ephesians 1:7-9  

The providence of God’s generosity

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

• Genesis 24:35
• Numbers 14:8
• Deuteronomy 28:11
• Deuteronomy 33:23
  Psalm 23:5
• Psalm 36:7-8
• Psalm 66:12
• Psalm 78:15
• Psalm 132:15
• Psalm 145:7
• Psalm 147:6
• Jeremiah 31:12-14
• Jeremiah 33:6-9
• Acts 14:17
• 1 Timothy 6:17  

The generosity of God’s salvation

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28

• Psalm 130:7
• Isaiah 55:7
• Hosea 14:4
• Mark 10:45
• Luke 12:32
• John 1:16
• John 3:16
• Romans 3:23-24
• Romans 5:5
• Romans 5:17
• Romans 6:23
• Romans 10:12
• Ephesians 1:3
• Ephesians 1:7
• Ephesians 2:7
• Ephesians 3:8
• Ephesians 5:1-2
• Philippians 2:5-8
• Colossians 2:10
• 1 Timothy 1:14-16
• Titus 2:13-14
• 1 Peter 1:18-19
• 1 John 3:1a  

The generosity of God’s sanctification

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

• Ezekiel 39:29
• Ezekiel 47:1-12
• Joel 2:28-29
• John 3:34
• Acts 2:17-18
• Acts 10:45
• 2 Corinthians 1:5
• Ephesians 3:16
• Philippians 2:12-13
• Colossians 2:2
• 1 Timothy 2:16-17
• Titus 3:5-6
• James 1:5
• 2 Peter 1:2-3
• Jude 2  

The eternal generosity of God

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Hebrews 10:35

• Proverbs 28:20
• 1 Corinthians 2:9
• Ephesians 1:18
• Revelations 21:1-4  

The problem of personal Greed

 “They do not know how to do right,” declares the Lord, “who hoard plunder and loot in their fortresses.” Amos 3:10

• Joshua 7:1-26
• Matthew 6:19-21
• Luke 12:13-21
• 1 Timothy 6:10  

Counterfeit Stewards

• Leviticus 10:1 Nadab and Abihu
• 1 Samuel 15:17-23 Saul
• Isaiah 1:10-17 Rebellious Israelites  
• Acts 5:1-11 Ananias and Sapphira
• Genesis 4:3-5 Cain
• Mark 6:22-28 Herod
• Matthew 4:8-11 Satan
• Matthew 5:2; 23 Jewish Hypocrites

Ungrateful Recipients of Gods stewardship 

• Genesis 3:1-4 Adam and Eve
• Exodus 16:3; Judges 8:32-35 Psalm 95:7-9; The Israelites
• Numbers 16:3, 8-11 Korah, Reubenites, Israelite Councilmen
• Matthew 18:23-25 The Unmerciful Servant
• Matthew 26:14-15 Judas Iscariot
• Matthew 20:9-15 The Workers in the Vineyard
• Luke 17:12-18 The Nine Lepers

Personal Relationships and Money

“A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.” Proverbs 28:25

• Genesis 4:3-5 Cain and Abel
• Malachi 3:6-10 Israel and God
• John 3:16 God and Humanity
• Matthew 26:14-16 Judas Iscariot and Jesus
• Luke 16:9-11 The Shrewd Manager and His Master’s Debtors
• Luke 12:42-48 The Unfaithful Manager and His Master
• Luke 19:1-10 Zacchaeus and Jesus
• Acts 4:32-35 The First Christians

Jesus’ Parables on Stewardship 

The Generosity of God

• Matthew 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13 The Son’s Request
• Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:4-7 The Lost Sheep
• Matthew 20:1-16 Workers in the Vineyard
• Matthew 22:2-14 The Wedding Banquet
• Luke 7:41-43 The Moneylender
• Luke 11:5-8 The Friend in Need
• Luke 14:16-24 The Great Banquet
• Luke 15:8-10 The Lost Coin
• Luke 15:11-32 The Prodigal Son

The Kingdom of God

• Matthew 13:44 The Hidden Treasure
• Matthew 13:45-46 The Valuable Pearl
• Luke 14:28-33 The Cost of Discipleship

The Proper Use of Money

• Luke 12:16-21 The Rich Fool
• Luke 16:1-8 The Shrewd Manager

The Charge to Faithful Stewardship

• Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-48 The Faithful and Wise Servant
• Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27 The Talents/The Minas
• Matthew 25:31-46 The Sheep and Goats
• Matthew 21:33-44; Mark 12:1-11; Luke 20:9-18 The Tenants
• Mark 13:34-37; Luke 12:35-40 The Watchful Servants
• Luke 17:7-10 The Master and His Servant  

People who Taught Stewardship 

Jesus Christ

• Matthew 6:1-4
• Matthew 6:19-34
• Matthew 10:8
• Matthew 22:21
• Mark 12:17
• Mark 12:41-44
• Luke 12:35-48
• Luke 20:25b
• Luke 21:1-4  

Agur, Son of Jakeh

• Proverbs 30:7-9, 14-16  

James

• James 2:1-7
• James 5:1-6  

John the Baptist

• Luke 3:11-14  

Moses

• Leviticus 1-4
• Leviticus 4-5:13
• Leviticus 5:14-6:7
• Leviticus 6:8-13
• Leviticus 6:14-23
• Leviticus 6:24-30
• Leviticus 7:1-10
• Leviticus 7:11-21
• Leviticus 7:28-36
• Leviticus 7:37-38
• Leviticus 16
• Leviticus 22:17-33
• Leviticus 23:9-14
• Leviticus 24:1-9
• Leviticus 27
• Numbers 36:1-12
• Deuteronomy 26:1-15

Paul

• 1 Corinthians 16:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 8-9
• Ephesians 5:1-2
• 1 Timothy 2:9
• 1 Timothy 3:1-3
• 1 Timothy 5:8
• 1 Timothy 6:3-10
• 1 Timothy 6:17
• 2 Timothy 3:1-2  

Solomon

• Proverbs 3:9-10, 27-28
• Proverbs 6:1-5
• Proverbs 6:30-31
• Proverbs 10:2-3, 15
• Proverbs 11:1, 4, 7, 10, 15, 16, 18, 24-26, 28
• Proverbs 12:9
• Proverbs 13:7, 8, 11, 22
• Proverbs 14:20, 21, 28, 31
• Proverbs 15:6, 16, 17, 27
• Proverbs 16:8, 11
• Proverbs 17:1, 5, 8, 18, 23
• Proverbs 18:10, 11, 16, 23
• Proverbs 19:1, 4, 6, 7, 17
• Proverbs 20:10, 14, 16, 21, 23
• Proverbs 21:6, 10, 13, 14, 17, 20, 25-27
• Proverbs 22:1, 2, 7, 9, 16, 22, 23, 26-28
• Proverbs 23:4, 5, 10, 11
• Proverbs 25:16, 21, 22
• Proverbs 27:7, 13, 20, 23, 24
• Proverbs 28:3, 6, 8, 20-22, 27
• Proverbs 29:4, 7, 13, 14

People who Loved Money and not stewardship 

• Joshua 7:1-26 Achan
• 1 Kings 21:2-3, 17-19, 25-26 Ahab and Jezebel
• Deuteronomy 23:4; 2 Peter 2:15 Balaam
• Judges 16:5, 18 Delilah
• Acts 24:26 Felix
• 2 Kings 5:19-27 Gehazi
• Esther 5:11 Haman
• 1 Samuel 8:1-3 Joel and Abijah
• Genesis 37:26-28 Joseph’s Brothers
• Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6 Judas Iscariot
• Genesis 13:5-13 Lot
• 2 Timothy 3:1-5 People in the Last Days
• Luke 16:14 The Pharisees
• Matthew 19:16-22; Mark 10:17-22; Luke 18:18-23 The Rich Young Ruler
• Matthew 28:11-15 The Roman Soldiers

Stewardship Advisors

• Matthew 6:19-21; Revelation 3:14, 17-18 Jesus Christ
• 1 Chronicles 22:5, 11-16 David
• Genesis 41:33-40 Joseph
• 2 Corinthians 8:10-12 Paul  

God’s Provision for His People

• Exodus 15:23-25 Water Sweetened at Marah
• Exodus 16:6-13 Quail Sent in the Wilderness
• Exodus 16:13-18 Manna Sent in the Wilderness
• 1 Kings 17:4-6 Elijah Fed by Ravens
• 1 Kings 17:12-16 Elijah Increases the Widow’s Oil and Meal
• 2 Kings 4:2-7 Elisha Multiplies the Widow’s Oil
• Matthew 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14
• Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
• Matthew 15:32-38; Mark 8:1-9 Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
• John 2:1-11 Jesus Turns Water into Wine 

Grateful Recipients of stewardship 

• Matthew 14:19; 26:26 Jesus Christ
• Acts 3:6-8 The Crippled Beggar
• 2 Samuel 22:1-4; Psalm 34:1-3 David
• Jonah 2:9 Jonah
• Exodus 15:1-5 Moses
• Mark 2:11-12 The Paralytic
• 2 Corinthians 9:15; Philippians 1:3-6; 1 Timothy 1:12 Paul
• Luke 17:12-18 The Samaritan Leper 

Generous Givers of stewardship  

Jesus Christ

• Mark 10:45
• John 3:16
• 2 Corinthians 8:9

Abel

• Genesis 4:4  

Abraham

• Genesis 14:18-20  

Barnabas

• Acts 4:36-37  

Boaz

• Ruth 2:5-9  

The Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 8:10b  

Cornelius the Centurion

• Acts 10:1-2  

Cyrus and the Persians

• Ezra 1:5-11  

King Hezekiah

• 2 Chronicles 31:3  

The Israelites under Moses

• Exodus 35:20-29  

Jacob

• Genesis 28:20-22  

King David

• 2 Samuel 24:18-25
• 1 Chronicles 29:1-9  

The early Christians

• Acts 4:32-35  

The Jews under King Hezekiah

• 2 Chronicles 31:5-10  

The Jews under King Joash

• 2 Chronicles 24:10-14  

The Jews under Nehemiah

• Nehemiah 7:70-72  

The Macedonian Churches

• 2 Corinthians 8:1-6  

The Magi

• Matthew 2:11  

The Philippians

• Philippians 4:15-18  

The Poor Widow  

• Mark 12:41-44
• Luke 21:1-4  

The Prodigal Son’s Father

• Luke 15:22-24  

The Returning Jewish Exiles

• Ezra 2:68-69  

The Shunammite Woman

• 2 Kings 4:8-10  

The Widow of Zarephath

• 1 Kings 17:7-16  

The Women Healed by Jesus

• Luke 8:1-3  

Zacchaeus

• Luke 19:1-10

Fundraisers 

Jesus Christ

• Luke 8:1-3
• Matthew 22:15-22
• Mark 12:13-17
• Luke 20:20-26  

The Apostles

• Acts 4:34-37  

Cyrus

• Ezra 1:1-4  

David

• 1 Chronicles 29:2-9  

Ezra

• Ezra 7:15-23  

Haggai

• Haggai 1:3-11  

Hezekiah

• 2 Chronicles 31:3-6  

The Israelites under Moses

• Exodus 11:2-3
• Exodus 12:35-36  

Joash

• 2 Kings 121-16  

Moses

• Exodus 35:4-7
• Exodus 36:3-7  

Nehemiah

• Nehemiah 10:32-39
• Nehemiah 12:44-47  

The Master with the Talents

• Matthew 25:14-30  

Paul

• 1 Corinthians 16:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 8-9
• Philippians 4:14-19  

Solomon

• 1 Kings 10:23-25

Paying taxes

• Matthew 17: 24-27
• Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26
• Romans 13:1, 5-6

The poor and their privilege to give

• Exodus 30:14-15
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-4
• Romans 15:25-27

Sacrificial lifestyles

• Genesis 22:2, 9-12
• 1 Kings 17:10-16
• Mark 10:45
• Mark 12:41-44
• Luke 10:33-35
• Luke 21:1-4
• John 3:16
• Acts 4:36-37
• Romans 8:32
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 8-9
• Ephesians 3:1, 7-9
• Hebrews 9:27-28
• Hebrews 10:32-34
• Hebrews 11:24-26
• 1 Peter 2:24 

Sacrificial giving

• 2 Samuel 24:24
• Luke 21:1-4
• 2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Spiritual gift of giving

• Romans 12:6-8

Stealing from God

• Malachi 3:8-10 

Tithe (reasons for)

• Malachi 3:10
• Leviticus 27:30
• Deuteronomy 14:22-23
• Deuteronomy 14:28-29
• Deuteronomy 26:1-3

Tithe (uses of)

• Numbers 18:21
• Deuteronomy 14:22-29
• 2 Chronicles 31:4

Tithe (the minimum)

• Matthew 23:23
• Luke 3:11
• Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4  

Tithe (prior to the Old Testament Law)

• Genesis 14:18-20
• Genesis 28:20-22

Tithe (under the Law)

• Leviticus 27:30-32
• 2 Chronicles 31:5-6
• Nehemiah 10:35-38
• Nehemiah 13:12
• Proverbs 3:9-10

Wealth comes with responsibility

• Ecclesiastes 5:12
• Proverbs 27:23-24
• 1 Timothy 5:8
• 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Wisdom in managing 

• Psalm 49:20
• Proverbs 21:20
• Proverbs 21:25-26
• Proverbs 22:7

Withholding

• Genesis 4:3-7
• Deuteronomy 15:7-11
• 2 Kings 7:9
• Proverbs 3:27-28
• Proverbs 11:24
• Isaiah 32:6
• Acts 5:1-11
• James 2:14-17
• 1 John 3
• Ezekiel 36:26
• Romans 12:1,
• 1 John 5:11-13
• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• 2 Corinthians 8:5
• Revelation 3:20
• Jeremiah 29:11, 12
• Philippians 3:7-11
• Psalm 1:1-3 .
• 2 Corinthians 9:7
• Leviticus 22:17, 18
• Exodus 35:5
• Proverbs 3:5, 6

Giving Your Life to Christ

Giving Because You Want To

God Owns Everything, we are His Manager  

• Psalm 24:1
• Leviticus 25:23
• Haggai 2:8
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• John 3:16
• Deuteronomy 8:18
• 1 Corinthians 4:2
• Romans 14:10-12

Our Heart Always Goes Where I Put my Interests  

• Ecclesiastes 5:12
• Matthew 6:19-21

Heaven is our Home, Not Earth 

• Hebrews 11:25-26
• Philippians 3:20
• Psalm 90:10
• Psalm 39:5b
• Matthew 25:21

Materialism will Consume us unless we Give 

• Ecclesiastes 5:10, 13
• Malachi 3:10b
• Luke 6:38
• Luke 12:33
• Acts 20:35
• 2 Corinthians 8:7
• 2 Corinthians 9:7-13
• 1 Timothy 6:9-10
• 1 Timothy 6:17-18  

 

In a recent blog on stewardship we asked the question, “What does stewardship look like in our lives today?” Unfortunately many Christians today only associate the idea of stewardship with sermons they have heard about church budgets and building programs.

But for us at the Institute for Faith, Work & Economics, the idea of biblical stewardship is about something much more expansive. We believe it is where the concepts of faith, work and economics intersect.

Bill Peel over at The High Calling recently wrote an excellent essay entitled Leadership Is Stewardship. His essay can help us build a framework to begin unpacking this biblical idea of stewardship.

Peel suggests that there are four important principles about biblical stewardship we must understand:

1. The principle of ownership. 

The psalmist begins the 24th psalm with,

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

In the beginning of Genesis, God creates everything and puts Adam in the Garden to work it and to take care of it. It is clear that man was created to work and that work is the stewardship of all of the creation that God has given him.

This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God owns everything, we are simply managers or administrators acting on his behalf.

Therefore, stewardship expresses our obedience regarding the administration of everything God has placed under our control, which is all encompassing. Stewardship is the commitment of one’s self and possessions to God’s service, recognizing that we do not have the right of control over our property or ourselves.     

Echoing Deuteronomy 8:17, we might say: “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But Deuteronomy 8:18 counsels us to think otherwise:

Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. 

2. The principle of responsibility. 

In explaining responsibility, Peel writes,

Although God gives us “all things richly to enjoy,” nothing is ours. Nothing really belongs to us. God owns everything; we’re responsible for how we treat it and what we do with it. While we complain about our rights here on earth, the Bible constantly asks, What about your responsibilities? Owners have rights; stewards have responsibilities.

We are called as God’s stewards to manage that which belongs to God. While God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything he owns as his stewards, we are responsible to manage his holdings well and according to his desires and purposes.

3. The principle of accountability.

A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and one day each one of us will be called to give an account for how we have managed what the Master has given us.

This is the maxim taught by the Parable of the Talents. God has entrusted authority over the creation to us and we are not allowed to rule over it as we see fit. We are called to exercise our dominion under the watchful eye of the Creator managing his creation in accord with the principles he has established.

Like the servants in the Parable of the Talents, we will be called to give an account of how we have administered everything we have been given, including our time, money, abilities, information, wisdom, relationships, and authority.

We will all give account to the rightful owner as to how well we managed the things he has entrusted to us.

4. The principle of reward. 

In Colossians 3:23-24 Paul writes:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

The Bible shows us in the parables of the Kingdom that faithful stewards who do the master’s will with the master’s resources can expect to be rewarded incompletely in this life, but fully in the next.

We all should long to hear the master say what he exclaims in Matthew 25:21:

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

As Christians in the 21st century, we need to embrace this larger biblical view of stewardship, which goes beyond church budgets or building projects, though important; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world.

We need to be faithful stewards of all God has given us within the opportunities presented through his providence to glorify him, serve the common good and further his Kingdom. 

Introduction

• In 1 Cor 3:5 Paul said that ministers are simply servants of God. He illustrated their role in the church as being like field hands in God's field, or as builders in God's construction project.
• Here Paul begins with a third illustration of the role of ministers, and then he ends with a personal appeal to the Corinthians to end their divisive spirit. 

An Illustration from Household Life (1 Cor 4:1-5)

Two ways to properly regard any minister:

1. "As servants of Christ" (huperetes) = literally, "under rowers;" originally, those rowing on a galley ship of the period. It became a general term for any subordinate or worker who was standing ready to carry out the master's wishes. The use of this term emphasizes the personal responsibility that each worker had to Christ alone. 
2. "As stewards of the mysteries of God" (oikonomos) = literally, "house manager;" a servant in charge of the affairs of the household. This emphasizes the personal responsibility of the steward to the owner of the house.
• A steward was typically responsible for the property of the master, and in this case Paul says ministers are stewards of the "mysteries" of God. A mystery is something that can only be known through revelation. Christ's servants have been entrusted with the treasures of God's truth revealed to the apostles and prophets. It was their responsibility to be stewards or managers of these truths according to the instructions and desires of the Master. 
• The primary job requirement for a steward is trustworthiness. Since ministers are stewards of God's treasured revelation, the primary qualification they must meet is faithfulness to their Master.

• Since human leaders are God's workmen doing whatever work He assigns them, they are responsible to God alone -- they are free from human judgment. The factions in Corinth were evidently evaluating their leaders on the basis of their own preferences and choosing between them based on their own standards. This itself demonstrates that they had a wrong concept of the role of ministers.
• "Examined" (anakrino) = to investigate or conduct a preliminary examination, not to pass final judgment upon something.
• "Any human court" (hemera, day, see 1 Cor 3:13) = Paul's statement might appear arrogant, so to avoid this interpretation he says that he had the same regard of the opinions of all people.
• "The one who examines me is the Lord" = As God's steward, Paul (and every minister) should be aware that he must please God alone. In effect he says here, "It is unimportant what you Corinthians think of me; it is not important what men in general think of me; it isn't even important what I think of myself!" He concludes: "The only one whose judgment counts is the Lord!"
• "Do not go on passing judgment" = Stop judging! They are not to pass judgment on any minister, since there are so many things that make up his character which cannot be known.
• "Before the time" = Do not get ahead of the Lord's day of judgment (krisis) by your preliminary investigation (anakrisis) which will certainly be useless and incomplete.
• "The motives of men's hearts" = the purposes, plans, and intentions hidden within men. All of our hidden motives will be made known on that Day, so no one can conceal his purposes under the scrutiny of the Lord.
• "Each man's praise" (epainos) = that which is due to a man as a result of his actions, after having been evaluated in light of his actual motives. Every person will receive a complete and impartial evaluation on that day.

Paul's Personal Appeal (1 Cor 4:6-21)

• He closes his argument with a personal appeal to them to have the right attitude toward him and all of their other leaders.
• "Figuratively applied to myself and Apollos" = here Paul states he made use of himself and Apollos to stand for all the ministers or leaders which the Corinthians were holding in high regard. Paul's argument was that the divisive spirit in Corinth was in part caused by a wrong concept of ministers, and he was one of those ministers.
• "Learn not to exceed what is written" = Paul wants the Corinthians to learn something from his previous discussion! When faced with dilemmas like this, Paul's standard approach is to ask, "What does the Bible say? Do not go beyond what is written in the Scriptures."
• "Become arrogant in behalf of one against the other" = this refers to their divisive spirit. When one says, "I am of Paul" they are also saying, "I am against Apollos!" They are saying, "UP (huper, above, over) with Paul, and DOWN (kata, down) with Apollos!" They were taking pride in being for one and against another.
• Paul punctures their pride by asking three pointed questions:
1. "Who regards you as superior?" (diakrino) = literally, "Who distinguishes you (above another)?" -- to distinguish, sift through, or separate things. Who has separated you from others, making you superior to others? Arrogance is based on the notion of superiority in terms of human effort or ability. So, in the next question, Paul addresses their supposed superior abilities.
2. "What do you have that you did not receive?" = What abilities or gifts do you have that do not come from God? However you obtained it, it was ultimately the gift of God. No one can say that his so-called superior abilities are really his own! No one should take credit for producing something that was really a gift given to him.
3. "Why do you boast as if you did not receive it?" = Why do you boast as if it were the result of your own effort or skill?
• The Corinthians are acting like the masters of the house, rather than like members of the house to whom the stewards or household managers are ministering.
• Here Paul uses sarcasm to set up a dramatic contrast between their so-called "exalted" position and his own lowly position as an apostle.
• "You are already filled" (korennumi) = occurs only here and in Acts 27:38, "And when they had eaten enough." It is usually applied to a feast, and pictures those who have stuffed themselves.
• "Have already become rich" (plouteo) = to be richly supplied; affluent in resources.
• "Have become kings without us" (basileuo) = assumed the throne, taken the highest-ranking position.
• The emphasis in these three word pictures is on the terms already and without us. The implication is that the Corinthians think they have somehow attained all they can spiritually.
• The first metaphor pictures people completely filled with food; the second is of those who are so rich that they lack nothing; the third is of those who are raised to the highest position where there is no place left to which to ascend.
• "I wish you had become kings" = the implication is that they were not! It is as if Paul is saying, "You are so puffed up and satisfied with your own favorite teachers and your own spiritual attainments, that you feel like those filled full at a feast, or as a rich man priding himself in his riches, or as the top-ranking people in the land."
• Paul introduces the contrast: "You have become kings, but the case is very different with us."
• "Last of all" = They were acting as if God had put the apostles at the end of their victory procession, like those under a sentence of death, to show them off as spectacles of shame to the world and to angels and to men.
• "Condemned to death" = This is probably an allusion to the practice of bringing condemned criminals into the amphitheatre to fight with beasts or with one another as gladiators.
• "Become a spectacle" (theatron) = literally, "a theatrical spectacle." The illustration is of the Roman amphitheaters in which various exhibitions were put on show for the pleasure of the spectators.
• Paul provides three contrasts in the areas of knowledge, manner, and worldly position:
1. Knowledge: 
   "We are fools" (moros) = stupid; appearing absurd 
   "You are prudent" (phronimos) = sagacious, clever, enlightened
2. Manner or Bearing: 
   "We are weak" (asthenes) = without strength; impotent 
   "You are strong" (ischuros) = forceful or mighty
3. Worldly Position: 
   "You are distinguished" (endoxos) = 'in glory,' held in esteem 
   "We are without honor" (atimos) = having no value, worth, or dignity; despised; looked down upon
• Here Paul begins a serious summary of his actual sufferings and trials. These hardships were still continuing and were to be regarded as a part of the condition of an apostle.
• "Scum of the world" ( perikatharmata) = to cleanse all round; that which is thrown off in cleansing; refuse or trash. That which is collected by sweeping a house, or that which is cast away after purifying something. This is a strong expression to denote the contempt and scorn with which the apostles were being regarded.
• "Dregs of all things" (peripsema) = scraping around; garbage or dirt rubbed off something.

Paul follows harsh words with tenderness and encouragement to imitate his fatherly example.

• "I do not write to shame you" = Paul is not ridiculing them or mocking them. His purpose was much higher and nobler than that. No minister ought to reprove someone merely to overwhelm him with shame, but his object should always be to make his brother better.
• "To admonish you" (noutheteo) = to put something into the mind with the purpose of gently reproving the person.
• "Countless tutors, but one father" = all the subsequent teachers in Corinth could be regarded as their tutors or instructors, but only Paul could be considered their spiritual father. He was the one who was used by God initially to bring them to Christ -- he was the instrument of their conversion.
• "Be imitators of me" (mimetes) = keep on becoming (present middle imperative) imitators of me. Paul had no desire to form parties or sects when he was with them, and so he exhorts them to imitate his example in this.
• "For this reason" = that they might be better imitators of Paul and more obedient to his instructions.
• Two Things About Timothy:
1. Much beloved by Paul -- very dear to him as a companion and co-worker.
2. A Christian minister proven to be trustworthy over his years of service with Paul.
• "Remind you of my ways" = to call to mind.  Way (hodos) = a well-traveled road; also, a course of conduct; a way of thinking, feeling, and acting.
• "As I teach everywhere in every church" = Timothy will remind the Corinthians of Paul's teachings, the doctrines or truths of the Faith which Paul shared everywhere he went. A major part of ministry work is teaching the Word of God, because people cannot come to believe and practice truths that they do not know.
• Paul warns of his coming with discipline and rebuke. Some of the Corinthians may think that he is sending Timothy because he does not want to face them himself. Arrogance is a key result of having a divisive spirit within the church. Where there is arrogance, there is a real problem.
• "But I will come" = Paul promises that he will visit them as soon as the Lord allows.
• "I will know" (ginosko) = I will fully understand and (by implication) I will put to the test.
1. "Not the words" = Paul is not concerned about their high-sounding speech or philosophical rhetoric. Talk is cheap, but can they stand up to the exercise of God's apostolic authority wielded by the apostle Paul?
2. "But their power" (dunamis) = the inherent power residing in something by virtue of its basic nature. Paul will know and test the character of their lives and the extent of their influence within the church.
• "Kingdom of God" (basilea) = Paul seems to present this as a contrast with 1 Cor 4:8where he said the Corinthians had become kings (basileuo) -- they had assumed the throne, supposing they had reached the pinacle of spirituality. Here he contrasts that with what it truly means to be spiritual!
• What is it that confirms the presence of God's kingdom? It is not empty speeches, but the demonstrated power of the Holy Spirit; it is the obvious rule or reign of God in the life of the church.
• "What do you desire?" = Whether he responds in tenderness or strictness is totally up to them. He will come -- either as a stern disciplinarian or as their loving "father" in the Lord.
• When a Christian slips into wrong behavior or wrong doctrine, he needs to be corrected. He needs to be told in love, but with firmness, that his Christian life is not what it should be, or that he is not acting on the principles he has already learned. Such confrontations are never easy, but they are sometimes necessary.

Points of Application

• Ministers should be faithful. We should regard ministers as the servants of Jesus Christ, and honor them for their Master's sake. We should respect ministers in proportion to their faithfulness in their work.
• It is of little consequence what the world thinks of us. It is a good thing to have a good reputation (Prov 22:1), but it should not be our focus. Even the admiration of our friends should not be the focus of our efforts. It is valuable, but not nearly as valuable as the approval of God.
• Sarcasm is sometimes a proper tool for expression (1Cor 4:8-10), but it is not as safe for us to use as for the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Very few people can use sarcasm properly, and so very few people should allow themselves to indulge in it. Sarcasm is rarely used in the Bible; and it is hardly ever used in real life without causing some kind of harm.
• This passage provides a wonderful illustration of the way reproach, contempt, and scorn should be endured (1Cor 4:12-13). The apostles imitated the example of their Master, following His precepts, and there is nothing but true spirituality that can produce this kind of response.
• All that we have in this life (beauty, health, wealth, honor, grace) has been given to us by God. We should constantly remember this fact and express our gratefulness to Him. We should certainly not be proud of what we have, as if we received it by our own efforts. We have nothing to boast about, but if we boast we should boast in the Lord for what He has accomplished in and through us.