We are stewards of the most high God. It is our responsibility to watch over and be faithful with the things that the Lord has entrusted to us. The Lord is the Lord of all. The earth and all its fullness belongs to Him.
1 Corinthians 4:1-2
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
What is a Steward?
Definition:
One who manages another’s property, finances, or other affairs.
One who is in charge of the household affairs of a large estate, club, hotel, or resort.
A go-between, handler, intermediary, operator, proctor, promoter, proxy, representative, or a substitute.
Paul tells us in vs.1 that we are to consider ourselves as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. It is a true mystery how God supplies all of our needs according to His riches.
God owns it all and, over the course of time, He trusts us with portions of His riches. We need to realize that what we have belongs to God and it is required that we be found faithful. Vs. 2 states that God requires accountability from our stewardship. All that we have is from God and it is not for us to do with as we desire. Since our riches belong to God, we must use them as He desires -- with a full accounting required from us.
Some people have a tendency to think only of the tithe as belonging to God with the rest as ours to do with as we will. This is not true. We are stewards and all of what we have belongs to God. The resources that we handle are not ours to do with as we will, but as He wills. Good stewardship is required by the Lord for the best results.
Luke 16:1-2
He also said to His disciples: “There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’’”
Jesus tells us here about the steward who was squandering the master’s goods. The master requested that the man give an account of his stewardship. There will be a day of great accounting for all of us as we stand before our Master.
We also have a continued responsibility to be faithful with what Christ has blessed us with. In Matthew 25:21, we read, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful with a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.” God wants to bless us with many things, and as we show ourselves faithful with little, we are given much.
I remember a lady who was going through tight financial times and was blessed with $100. She was excited about paying her tithe and even asked God how much she was to give for offering. She listened intently as God explained to her that she was to give her $10 tithe and a $40 offering. Without hesitation, she prepared her giving envelope and was excited to give. This sounds very holy and wonderful -- she was being a good steward and excited about giving. The truth is that, although it sounded good, she was only willing to hear from God about what to give so that she could do what she wanted with the rest. Her giving sounded generous -- how noble to give 50% of her increase, especially when she was in tight times financially. However, her motive was not that of being a good steward, but the desire to know how much of the money she could spend on her personal wants. We need to check and be sure our heart, or motive, is right.
We want to be willing to give of all of our increase. Whether it is just 10% or all that we have received, we want to be willing. Giving what the Master wants, and not what we want, is an example of good stewardship. What is left after the tithe is not to do with as we want but as the Lord wants. All the money belongs to God, not just the portion we give back to God and His work.
Without accountability there is no responsibility. We need to monitor our giving, our spending, and our receiving. Realize that what we receive, what we have, and what we do with it is all part of our stewardship.
When we have a budget, it helps us monitor our money, and causes us to be good stewards. If you are not on a budget, you probably do not know where your money is going. Without a record of our giving, we are unable to know for sure how much, and where, our giving is going.
A budget is a great system to support good stewardship. We want to get on, stay on, and enjoy our budget. It is a tool to tell your money what to do, and keeps you from making a spur of the moment decision in the flesh. As we are good stewards and faithful with what God has already given us, we will be blessed abundantly. It is God’s good pleasure to bless us. As we are faithful with little, God will give us much.
Let us all long for and want to hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”