Our Value: We believe that God has made us and the Church as whole ‘Stewards’ of His creation and the many resources (talents, wisdom, knowledge, skills, finances, etc) he has blessed with. We need to exercise our rights and responsibilities diligently.
Meaning: The job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property.
A wealthy businessman from Texas was in the habit of giving his dad unique gifts on his birthday. As his business travels took him around the world, he would always search to find something truly remarkable to give to his dad. But this past year he felt he had outdone himself. He discovered a talking bird that had been trained to speak five languages and even more incredible, could sing “The Yellow Rose of Texas” while standing on one foot. The talented bird cost him ten thousand dollars, but he felt it was worth every penny. This would be a gift his dad would never forget and he arranged to have the bird delivered in time for his dad’s birthday.
About a week after the bird was delivered he called his father. “Dad, how did you like the bird?” His father responded, “Son, you have to tell me where you found that bird because it was so delicious!”
Man was created a steward. In the Garden of Eden, it was the full intention of God that man would have far reaching, responsibilities and privileges. There was to be an intimate sharing between God the owner and the man the steward. In An environment of openness God spoke to man and man spoke to God. To remind man of this, God place one tree as a restriction. This tree was a symbol of God’s authority-His sovereignty. This tree was also the only restriction placed upon man; this proves that man was to be steward and not an owner, because in stewardship there is always some restriction-something which the steward has no right.
When stewardship is understood as a relationship of trust between a person and his creator, immediately the question of responsibility and accountability comes into focus. Every man, in order to be effective, has to understand what the tools of his trade are, these varies with the size, type and scope of whatever is to be managed. Adam and Eve were entrusted with certain tools at creation to enable them to administer their dominion of the earth.
Time is the most precious gift God had given us, time is the essence of life.
Talents: Time alone would be of no value if one were incapable of doing anything. Man was given the skills needed to perform his work, each person has different skills, diversified and unique. Even two people can do the same thing, one maybe more skillful and proficient than the other.
Possessions. Time and talent alone would be insufficient; an artist needs a brush and a writer a pen. There is nothing wrong with obtaining or maintaining possessions; this is what stewardship is all about. The wrongness occurs when one claims ownership of these possessions
Money as it represents a medium of exchange, makes economic interchange possible on a worldwide scale.
Time + Talent = Life
The ingredients of life are time and talent. Without time there is no life; without talents, life would be meaningless.
Time + Talent = Money
Money or its equivalent is life, It is life in a tangible form.
Money = Life
If money is representative of life, to waste it would be to waste life; to hoard it would be to bury life. It follows that when one makes an offering of money to God, he is, in reality, offering a portion of his life. On the other hand, if a person does not wish to give money, or some material gift to God, it is a portion of his life which he does not wish to give.
Four Principles of Stewardship
- The principle of ownership.
Psalm 24:1 proclaims that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (NIV). One thing that we must recognize in understanding stewardship is the fact that God owns everything in our lives. We must change our mindset towards ownership to obey God’s will involving our possessions. Deuteronomy 8:18 that demands us to “remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” Since God owns it all, how much authority do we give God over our possessions?
2. The principle of responsibility.
In the beginning of Genesis, God created everything and puts Adam to work in the garden to take care of it. Relating this to our lives, Adam’s purpose is our current duty to fulfill. Since God owns everything, we are obligated to carry out the will of the father. For owners have rights and stewards have responsibilities. We must understand that when God blesses us with abundance, the abundance creates more of a responsibility to handle what God has given us. What has God given us that we are responsible for?
3. The principle of accountability.
In Matthew 12:36, Jesus says “but I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” God has entrusted humanity to have authority over creation and we are not allowed to rule over it however we see fit. We are called to exercise dominion under the management of the Creator. We have been tasked with overseeing His creation in accordance with the principles He has established. In the end, we will all give account to the rightful owner as to how well we managed the things he has entrusted to us. How can we stay accountable and steward well of what He has provided?
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.” Accountability of our ability to follow God’s commandments can generate reward. Moreover, we must switch our focus from the temporary to the eternal. The treasures that are stored up within us will also be rewarded through true sanctification that is in heaven after we depart from this earth. How comfortable are we with our life if God were to give an account for us right now?
As Christians, we need to fully understand this broader view of stewardship that goes beyond just handling with one’s finances; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world. There are principles in which we must reflect ourselves on our role as stewards. We need to understand that the Lord doesn’t only want us to handle our money and possessions well, but to handle all aspects of our lives. To be faithful stewards, we are called to glorify him, serve the common good, and further His Kingdom. As we begin understanding the concept of stewardship, what is our response? Let’s challenge ourselves to…
1. Believe God OWNS it all
2. Understand the RESPONSBILITIES He has given us.
3. Remain ACCOUNTABLE for how we steward what He provides.
4. Remember our REWARD & treasure is found in having an eternal perspective.
I remember an aunty who was our neighbor back in hometown had 4 sons & 4 daughters. One fine day she got some sickness and passed away. Her children from different parts of the city and also some from abroad have also came for the funeral and at the close of the service we gathered at the home and it was interesting to hear the conversation they all had. It was all about sharing of the possessions that she had. The musical instrument was given to one granddaughter, the furniture to another, the house to another person the land was divided, the jewels were shared among the daughters and everything was given a new owners. No matter how much possessions we have accumulated in our lifetime we cannot take it with us when we’re dead, neither can lifeless hands hold anything. I still remember that just before getting the coffin down the younger son came near me and asked have u guys removed that watch from her hand.
Truth #1: What we have is not ours – Stewardship is about the right use of our life. Money is a part of that life. Money is simply a representation to time, talent, and sweat – poured into a piece of paper or a checking account. It ALL belongs to the master. All of it!
Truth #2: What we have is to benefit the Kingdom of God – Talk about purpose and meaning in life – You have been called to work in the greatest work of all time and eternity – the establishment of the kingdom of God
Truth #3: God never asks for more from us than we can handle – God proportioned the bags of money according to the abilities. God has given me some, some to you, he has given a different amount and His expectations on us depends on our ability to handle the blessings He gives. We don’t all have the same talents, abilities, judgment, timing, physical strength, or appearance.
We aren’t all in the same place spiritually. Some are babes, some are young and immature, and some are adults and mature in the spiritual things.
The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping.
The five-bag man invested his money and doubled it.
He was able to take his money and turn it into equipment, loans, venture capital that produced jobs and work for others. Here is a man who not only took care of his master but took care of others in the process!
The two-bag man went to work and doubled his money. He was able to take his money and use it to buy a business he worked in himself and he doubled his money.
The one-bag man dug a hole in the ground and hid it.
He was more concerned about risk management and he determined to do as little as possible to give himself a feeling of security. He thought nothing of his master or for others – only himself.
When the master came back he told the man that he could have put it in the bank and at least earned interest. He could have put what he had with others and used it to benefit the king!
A few pennies combined with everyone else’s pennies is soon billions!
Stewardship and money are not synonymous; stewardship is a relationship, as well as management. Money or material things, are the natural result of wise management. And while the relationship between a man and God remains constant, his material possessions will vary according to his ability and the size of trust with which he has been entrusted. The only requirement is faithfulness. Faithfulness in returning tithes and giving offerings to God.
Christ has spoken a lot about Stewardship, how to manage the things like finances, talents, wisdom and also about time managing through many parables. Not just taught but he has also lived and shown us how to be a good steward.
When Satan tempted Him with alternative plans, Jesus rebuked him with Scripture and refused any shortcuts. Even when God’s purpose brought Jesus to the brink of the cross, complete with suffering and agony – He submitted to God’s will, not His own. Jesus’ job wasn’t finished until the Father’s purpose was finished. He had given his own life for all of us because he knew that it doesn’t belong to him, it belongs to the Father. He says let your will be done, even during his last breath. What an amazing role model he has shown to every of us.
So, Jesus modeled biblical stewardship at every turn during His time on earth. Big surprise, right? Well, the challenge for us isn’t just recognizing His example. We’ve got to imitate His example. To be effective stewards, we have to find ways to use God’s blessings in God’s way for God’s glory—just like Jesus did.
Quote: We show God that He is first in our lives when we give Him the best of who we are and what we have possessed.
Paul Anand is an IT Professional and is part of Renewed Hope Community which is situated in the heart of the city between Old and New Panvel. We can confidently share that Renewed Hope Community is a Church in Kamothe, Church in Khandeshwar, Church in Khanda Colony, Church in Karanjade, Church in Panvel, Church in New Panvel because we are centrally located and these places surround our church Venue.
0 Comment