Stewardship

7 - Spiritual Discipline of Wise Stewardship

Genesis 1:27–28 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.””

God is the creator of all things and we have been blessed by God, empowered to steward His creation.

Another way of saying this, is bringing the rule of God into every area of our life, work (what does it look like to be business owner, employee, student, retiree under the rule of God), and especially our finances.

These disciplines we have been talking about, are not simply behavioral change, but putting us in a position for God to transform us, into the image of Christ, and I don’t know if there is a more compelling expression of His love and our transformation than being generous, because love gives.

Love gives to God and his purposes aka the church in the world, and love gives to people.

Generosity is not about giving to get but truly getting to give. The motivation for giving is love and love doesn’t require anything in return.

And the lifestyle of generosity is the most fulfilling fun happy life in this world.

Acts 20:35 “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””

Blessed - in Greek literature it was a poetic word, later used to express the rich’s freedom from cares and worries.

In the Greek Septuagint it refers to Blessedness as fullness of life and relates to such things as a wife, beauty, honor, wisdom, and piety. The OT contains many warnings against purely external judgment, so that the true blessedness is that of trust in God, forgiveness of sins, righteousness even in affliction, and final deliverance.

And in the New Testament it’s primary usage expresses the distinctive joy which comes through participation in the God’s kingdom.

Happy

The Spiritual Discipline of Stewardship (in all of this we listen to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and consult Scripture for individual application)

Spending wisely

Living simply and frugally within your means and get out of bad debt.

Saving

Being prepared for God’s future plans.

Leave an inheritance for the future.

This is stewarding well.

So that...

Generous

As we are about to read, “I will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion”

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 (NIV)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

The Apostle Paul presents 3 main points in this section he begins with “Remember This”

Give willingly, not under compulsion

The reciprocity between giving and receiving: those who give generously will also reap generously. God responds to believers who are generous by giving gifts generously to them.

Third: Paul stresses that the gifts the Corinthians give to the Lord’s people ultimately bring glory to God as others praise Him because of their example.

The emphasis we gain from generosity: How we steward our finances (something so practical) is a giant way of showing what it means to be a Christian.

Money is one of the principal ways we demonstrate our identity, our use of money is a natural extension of our hearts.

Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We express the the rule of God in our lives by spending wisely, saving, and showing the kindness and generosity of our God that we have received to others.

4 Points, one is a paradigm shift that will change our perspective in our approach to resources, the other are two mindsets that we must work diligently to avoid because they will hinder us from living the blessed life of generosity, and then finally the answer that will keep us on the straight and narrow.

1. You aren’t the owner

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;”

Psalm 50:10–12“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.”

Everything belongs to Him,

Even my body belongs to Him.

And to the parents, My kids, I don’t own them.

“These children belong to me so I can parent the way I see fit”

When we look at our children as belonging to us, we end up doing things that are short-sighted, not helpful in the long-run, more reactive than goal-oriented, and outside God’s great, big, wise plan.

Ownership parenting is shaped by what I want for my children and what I want from my children

Psalm 127:3 “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.” Children like our resources are God’s possession (Psalm 127:3) for his purpose.

We are his stewards in the lives of these children who have been made in His image.

We are called to do one thing with our children, our bodies, our finances - God’s will.

Which means: stewardship is not first about what we want for my children, my life, my finances or what we want from them but about what God in grace has planned to do through us.

We must mature like children do, from a place “that’s mine, mine, mine” Because there is freedom in not having that fearful grasping spirit that is always afraid of losing what is “mine”.

When I break free from this ownership mentality, I will be free from

Finding my identity in what I have or don’t have.

Correlating success in life with what I possess in life.

Placing my hope in things instead of in Christ - My completeness is found in Christ not in things.

Living in fear of lack

For all of this that I have belongs to God and I am His steward to do His will.

Luke 16:10–11““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. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

Why are so many resistant to tithing, giving offerings, generosity to others, and submission to Him in our spending decisions?

Barna says 21% of Christians tithe - Give at least 10%

Ownership mentality breeds Fear and scarcity…

The story of Scrooge - he wasn’t frugal to be generous but was stingy and frugal out of fear and control.

And look at what a transformed heart looks like.

But when I realize I am His steward, I don’t have to be afraid or limited because the God I serve, and am His steward owns it all!

And He is an extravagant giver of gifts.

You can let go of that iron grip of hoarding all you have because it isn’t yours anyway, and when you realign yourself as a steward you will reach a new dimension of your relationship with a faithful and caring God.

“What cannot be admitted - what must exist only as an undefeated but daily resisted enemy - is the idea of something that is “our own,” some area in which we are to be “out of school,” on which God has no claim. For He claims all, because He is love and must bless. He cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.” - CS Lewis

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Stay on the path - don’t fall into the ditch.

2. Poverty mentality

Is being poor virtuous?

1 Timothy 6:6–10“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Is it a spiritually superior position to take? Are we at an advantage spiritually by being poor?

Some of the monastics thought so,

St. Francis of Assisi the founder of the Franciscan order.

Yet it was having non-possessions with the security of necessities provided for by the wealthy who helped fun the Monastery.

This was to ensure that they didn’t trust in riches but trusted in God.

Yet we learn that it doesn’t take the actual possession of things to trust in them, many of poorest people trust not in God but things.

To trust in God and not in riches is a work of His Spirit of Grace, not a condition based on what we may have or not have.

Possession is not an evil in and of itself.

Things are neutral, they take the character of the steward.

1 Timothy 6:17–19“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

When we view abundance as evil, we are not far from the Gnostics who saw creation and material things as inherently evil, which is why they deny Jesus Christ coming in the flesh… God isn’t evil so He couldn’t have had a body.

Yet, our calling to have dominion and subdue the earth requires us bring the wisdom of God and redemption to the steward of earth’s resources.

Dallas Willard says, “The godly should control and possess the wealth of the earth.”

If you believe poverty is holy or just simply having just enough for your family needs, how can you do the most holy action of caring for the poor and helping those in need?

If you believe possessions and abundance to be evil, are you happy to leave the stewardship of the earth’s resources in the hands of the ungodly and evil who have no love for God or people?

Or are we called as stewards, to take the rule of God into every part of our vocations to exemplify what God’s rule looks like in our work and resources, to show what God is like by our generosity.

Prosperity Materialism mentality

Our western culture deals with this much more, we are inundated every day with advertisements that promise a better more comfortable life.

Symptoms of materalism:

More!

You deserve more, You would be happier if you had more, you need more, you will be complete if you have more.

1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

Advertising agencies go after this ungodly lust for more in the flesh.

Looking to things for a “better” life and fulfillment.

If we just had this, then…

Materialism takes a good thing that God created to be enjoyed and turns it into an ultimate thing, a thing that takes the place of God, a thing we try to gain significance and fulfillment from rather than from God.

It takes our focus away from God and His plan for my life and puts it on things leaving me miserable and unhappy.

Comparison

Looking at what others have and seeing what you don’t have.

Eyes off of God and on others - comparison will rob you of the joy of contentment.

We can live in contentment by having God with you: Hebrews 13:5 “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.””

You feel greater significance and seek fulfillment from what you possess.

Luke 12:15 “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.””

The problem with both of these mindsets is that you have “things” on your mind, either the lack of it or the more of it. We are called to seek first His Kingdom - Luke 12:31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

The answer:

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

We need the grace and strength of Christ in the midst of our prosperity, perhaps even more than when we are in need. Because much our understanding of prosperity comes from the world’s perspective… The world correlates having much with their well-being.

We correlate our well-being to the strength that Christ provides.

My well-being is correlated to being in Christ Jesus.

His grace and wisdom will enable me to steward that abundance well. Because when I give, I don’t lose - I didn’t lose my well-being.

I will spend wisely because I don’t see that thing that I would have gone into debt in the past for because I know it will not provide me the well-being I thought it would. Which empowers me to enjoy the simple things of life. Instead of always needing more.

I will save well because I want to be prepared for the plans of generosity God has prepared for me. I will “always have all sufficiency for all things”

I will be generous because Christ has been so generous to me.

Proverbs 1:32 “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;”

Tithe / Giving keeps our heart in the right place.

God has a prescribed way to be worshipped, for our benefit as well.

We don’t worship God anyway we want, He has a preference.

Part of worship was something