God, Stewardship, Money and You: Lesson 1

Defining Biblical Stewardship

The concept of Christian or Biblical stewardship is vastly different from the secular idea of money management or investment. Though stewardship must involve money it is a has a much greater scope than just finances or currency. Christian stewardship goes is so vast that it exceeds time and looks toward eternity. It’s rewards are not a carefree retirement or a diversified portfolio but in blessings that begin in our lives here on earth and can only be fully redeemed and appreciated in a timeless eternity.

What then is the Biblical idea of Stewardship?

Broadly speaking stewardship is the utilizing and managing of all the resources that God provides, with the goal of glorifying our provider and creator and returning what He has given us back to Him after improving it with our talents and abilities.

From the beginning stewardship was part of our creation by God. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them “dominion” (authority and responsibility) over all of the earth

Genesis 1:26-28 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God intended man to be good and gracious managers of His creation. Though sin and man’s fall in the Garden, destroyed this and so much more of our original purpose, those who choose and are chosen by God have this original purpose restored. This dominion now is stewardship, caring for all that God places in our hands, to be wisely used, invested, and even shared with the goal of returning it and its increase to God one day.

As New Testament believers, our concept of stewardship is a part of our commitment to Jesus Christ. Just as He is Lord of our soul and heart, He should also be Lord of our time, talents, money and all other aspects of our life. As Paul in 1st Corinthians 6:20 told the church, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” and later in the same letter, 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

As stewards of God, we have a greater vision of who we are, what we own and how we are to live understanding that all these are given to us by God and are meant to be used to bring glory and honor to God.

Bible Verses about Stewardship

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Titus 1:7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

Matthew 25:14-29 For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Principles of Stewardship

1. The principle of ownership.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

The first priniciple that we as believers accept and then order our life to is the principle of God’s ownership of all things. God is the owner of all things because he is the creator of all.

Genesis 1:1-2 1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God owns everything, we are simply managers or care takers acting on his behalf. Nothing is ours, but as God honors us with His things we oversee and administer them with the understanding that they must be returned to Him.

After God created the world he created man and place him in the Garden of Eden, and gave Adam very specific instructions, those instructions were man’s first purpose.

The same commission or commandment has been given to us today as God’s people. Though it is not a garden that has been place in our care, instead it is all things. As the Garden of Eden was the world of Adam and Eve and they were to care for it by God’s command, our world has been given to us and we are to care for it as part of our calling as His own.

Conclusion

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 ownership over our property or ourselves but only the duty of overseership or stewardship.

Those with this understand have the attitude expressed in Deuteronomy 8:17, we might say: And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

But those who are God’s have learned the principle of Deuteronomy 8:18 and we see, think and live in a completely different way. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Friday, February 5, 2021