Stewardship and Accountability

Introduction

I am 37 years old and should God bless me to see 38 I will have waken up out of my sleep 13,870 times. Pull out your phones and multiply your age by 365. How many times has God woke you up. That’s 13,870 opportunities that God has given me to steward the life that he has blessed me with. As we progress and as we age stewardship begins to look different. My son has times where he has the same 15 dollars in his wallet for months. As an adult that has bills and other responsibilities stewardship looks a little bit different. Money aside even as it pertains to the spiritual, psychological, emotional parts of our lives. We have to steward those properly as well. It’s impertative that we look at stewardship from a wholistic approach rather that limiting it to material things and money. Granted the theme of this text is strengthened by the importance of financial stewardship, nonetheless how we steward finances is typically a reflection of other things we are called to manage.

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”

It’s impertative that we understand that stewardship and faithfulness work hand in hand. Discipline typically does not impact one portion of our life, discipline and stewardship can have postive or negative impacts on multiple portions of our lives. Be mindful that life should be enjoyable, Jesus is not exclaiming that we should rid ourselves of enjoying life but we should prioritize managing what God has blessed us with in a responsible way.

Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, is recorded as having said the following: “Never say about anything, ‘I have lost it,’ but only ‘I have given it back.’ Is your child dead? It has been given back. Is your wife dead? She has been given back. ‘I have had my farm taken away., Very well, this too has been given back. Yet it was a rascal who took it away. But what concern is it of yours by whose instrumentality the Giver called for its return? So long as He gives it to you, take care of it as of a thing that is not your own, as travelers treat their inn”

Our perspective of stewardship must emcompass every facet of life, it’s not a manner of control but an opportunity of gratitude to show God that we are thankful for what is doing for us by taking care of what he has given us.

Stewardship Requires Accountability

God always holds us accountable for the things we are required to manage. When we look at life, we are held accountable especially for the things that only God can give us.

In this parable the resources he managed were not his, he didn’t work for them, did nothing to earn them, at some point in time the rich man saw something in him that pushed him to trust him enough to manage his goods. When we think of our life and the things that God has entrusted us with, it’s not a matter if we deserve it or not. It’s because God has saw something in us that would prompt Him to allow us to manage what He has given us. It should promote a sense of gratitude. Thankful that God has given me something to manage. Thankful that I have shelter, my health and strength, a family, occupation and even a purpose. I’m thankful that God saw me fit enough to steward something during my time on earth.

With stewardship comes responsibility and accountability. We will always be held accountable for what we are given to manage. It was our neighborhood spider man that once said “with great power comes great responsibility” and it was Jesus that said “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?”

When it comes to what God has blessed us with or entrusted us to manage, remember there is always someone who is willing to take your place. Understand that we have to give an account or God can remove us from the position in life that we are in.

Romans 14:12 “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Stewardship Requires Prioritization

How we steward is a reflection of what you prioritize. Poor stewardship puts us in poor positions, and often times reactionary positions because when things we depended on are removed we have to come up with solutions on the fly that make do more harm than good. Stewardship is always going to require accountability, integrity and humility.

Prioritizing requires planning, it’s evident that there was a lack of organization on behalf of the servant. The word waste or squander means that essentially the goods were being scattered with no plan. It’s disrespectful to waste what God has blessed us with. We must ask ourselves the question, how are we taking care of what God has given us. How are we stewarding what God has blessed us with financially, physically and spiritually. It’s always funny that when we find ourselves on the wrong end of poor stewardship we begin to try to protect ourselves. Poor stewardship can lead to selfish motives that lack integrity when we find ourselves in survival mode.

The frightening part about refusing to prioritize God or steward what He has blessed us with properly is that the lack of self accountability will push us to a place of valuing self-preservation over repentance. When in actuality the greatest way to protect ourselves spiritually is through repentance. Repentance is the ultimate opportunity of holding ourselves accountable in the presence of God.

The entire purpose we have repentance and accountability is because of God. He knew that we can’t save ourselves.

Idolize God, Stay Humble

It’s always interesting that we can find ourselves like this unjust servant when we waste or squander what God has given us.

Luke 16:3–4““Then the steward said within himself, ‘What shall I do? For my master is taking the stewardship away from me. I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg. I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.’”

The kicker is if he would’ve stewarded what what given he wouldn’t have found himself in this place of survival to begin with. Humility enters the conversation when we lose what God has given us. Now the unjust servant is negotiating with himself, we can do all the negotiating we want but God knows our hearts! The issue is not what we have the problem is what we have becomes our God. No matter the material, money, possessions, even people the resources we have can be used properly and be an aid to sharing Jesus with people or when can find ourselves in eternal condemnation because we idolize possessions over the God that blessed us with them in the first place.

The Greatest Gift

It’s convicting to talk about finances, or to set goals about our personal life but the greatest thing we should steward is our faith.

We’ve all been given a gift and that’s the gift of salvation! Jesus dying on the cross is the greatest gift that we could ever receive. How will we decide to steward our spirits?

Faith is not a big rule book of “dos and don’ts.” It is about loving and seeing Jesus Christ in the other.  Stewardship of our faith in Jesus Christ calls us to do those things that reflect our faith to others, living our faith through our actions. As Jesus tells us, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 NKJV). There is no better way of sharing the faith that lies within us than to see Christ in others and to love and care for them.