What Is Stewardship

What Is Stewardship 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Once, a man said, "If I had some extra money, I'd give it to God, but I have just enough to support myself and my family." He said, "If I had some extra time, I'd give it to God, but every minute is taken up with my job, my family, and my hobbies." This man also said, "If I had a talent I'd give it to God, but I don't have a lovely voice; I have no special skill; I've never been able to lead a group; I can't think cleverly or quickly, the way I would like to." Upon hearing this man's confession, God was touched and graciously decided to give that man money, time, and a glorious talent. And then God waited, and waited, and waited.....And then after a while, He shrugged His shoulders, and God took all those things right back from the man, the money, the time, and the glorious talent. After a while, the man sighed and said, "If I only had some of that money back, I'd give it to God. If I only had some of that time, I'd give it to God. If I could only rediscover that glorious talent, I'd give it to God." And the man told some of his friends, "You know, I'm not so sure that I believe in God anymore." What do you think God would say in a situation like this? After all, God provides. He gives us what we need. He gives us gifts to serve others. As we learned the past couple of weeks, God is Yahweh-Yireh, "The LORD Who Provides." But many people don't see God as "The LORD Who Provides." Instead, they see God as the one who takes, or they simply try to ignore God altogether. So, let me ask you, is it God's fault when we don't use what God has provided or give to others because God has given to us? To answer the question, "what do you think God would say in a situation like this?" I believe God would tell us that Stewardship and Giving are closely connected and dependent upon each other. A Christian Steward can be defined as someone that functions within the community of faith, believing that everything they have is from God, which motivates them to give back that which God has already given them. Christian Stewardship is what we do after we say, "we believe." It's more than just giving time or money; it's ordering your life around Christian principles that God has already laid out in His Word. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." In other words, a cheap giver will be a cheap receiver, and a generous giver will be a generous receiver. It's here the apostle Paul uses a simple farming illustration about planting seeds to teach his readers a timeless truth: A farmer's harvest is dependent on what he sows. Unless seeds are planted, there will be no crop. Any seed that's deposited in the ground is an investment made in faithful expectation of reaping something much more significant. It reminds me of the movie National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation starring Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold and Randy Quaid as Cousin Eddie. Clark lost everything by gambling in Vegas. With nowhere to go and unable to turn back the clock, he reaches out to Cousin Eddie, who Clark always thought was a little crazy. But Cousin Eddie surprises Clark because out in Eddie's front yard, he buried all his money he saved over the years. Eddie was able to help Clark because he literally sowed his money with the intention of reaping on a rainy day. It's a funny illustration, but its message was clear: Eddie didn't have a lot to give, but he gave freely and willingly. He showed grace to Clark and shared his resources. But, despite what some health and wealth preachers may say, Paul is not promising that when you give generously it will result in earthly riches, material prosperity, or eliminate all your problems. But there are 2 clear principles of sowing and reaping that we cannot ignore. Our 1st Kingdom Principle today is when you give generously for a legitimate need from a sincere heart, God gives you His blessing. A blessing is the God-given capacity to experience, enjoy, and extend the goodness of God in your life. Regardless of what God provides for you, He will bless you with His presence and the ability to use what He provides. "Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously," because a giving attitude is more important than the amount given. You should never be embarrassed about what you can or can't give because as verse 7 says, "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." God is the Provider, and when you learn that God is the provider, you'll begin to give more willingly because God's resources are endless. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth and everything in it belongs to the LORD," and God has entrusted His resources into our hands as His stewards. Giving should be a joy, not a job. And one of the ways you'll know you're growing in your faith is when you freely give with a glad heart. Giving is important, and today's verses don't just talk about being a generous giver of money, but also of your time. Being a steward is all about managing what God has given. When you order your life around God's principles, your money, talent, and abilities are used to serve. That's why verse 8 says, "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." Now, there's 2 things we need to know about this verse. First, in other translations, the word "bless" is replaced with the word "grace," making this verse read, "God is able to make all grace abound toward you." God's grace is a blessing and central to stewardship and giving. Second, the Greek word used for "abundantly" actually means to "superabound" in both quantity and quality. It's to have enough to spare, to increase, and to excel, all because of God's grace. Your service as a faithful steward will excel when you're faithfully following because God's Word says He will bless you in all things at all times so you can abound in every good work, all because of God's grace. God's superabundant grace includes everything God can do for you that you're unable to do for yourself. He can heal broken relationships. He can provide peace where there's conflict. God can guide you when you're lost and will provide when you're in need. Just trust Him. But, if you suffer from a stingy heart and are reluctant to give to legitimate needs, you're actually restricting God's flow of grace. God is the Giver of gifts who will provide, but if you're reluctant to receive those gifts or stingy with what you have received, you're limiting God's grace in your life. The person who gives only when asked has waited too long. A steward knows when to sow seeds and that when taken care of, the reaping of the harvest will be glorious. Farmers sow seeds, and they take care of what they planted because when the fall harvest comes, all their work will superabound. This is why verse 10 says, "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." Stewards know that God provides the seed, we maintain what God provides, and God will produce a harvest. Verse 10 teaches us that God provides seed and the bread, meaning that God is both the source of what is planted and also the source of what is harvested. When you understand this, that God is the source, God's grace will produce thanksgiving in your life. This thankfulness will change you from the inside out and be expressed through praise. In other words, sowing and reaping, being a steward and a giver, is all about you being in ministry. It's being God's steward to help supply the needs for the saints (Christians), and it's expressing thankfulness to God, with the goal that both the giver and the receiver obtain God's blessing, which is why verse 12 says, "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," (2 Corinthians 9:13-14). A steward is a willing conduit of God's grace by giving your time, energy, talents, or money to legitimate causes. Since you have received God's grace, you should show grave to others. And it's here that we learn the 2nd Kingdom Principle that I call, "The Charis Circle." Charis is the Greek word used for grace. When you serve as a steward and give cheerfully to other saints, those other saints will glorify God and lovingly pray for your continued faithful service. Cheerful contributions result in a superabundance of grace and blessing, leading to increased prayer and praise to God, which leads to more giving and grace. It's The Charis Circle, and those who refuse to give, or who give reluctantly, break this circle of blessing before it can begin again. But generosity proves that a person's heart has been cleansed of self-interest and filled with the servant spirit of Jesus Christ. As Amy Carmichael said, "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." God's amazing grace is so incredible that the only way Paul knew how to respond was by saying in verse 15, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" There's no word to grasp the greatness of grace. It's beyond description. That's the kind of grace you need, and that's the kind of grace you want working in your life. So don't break The Charis Circle and cut yourself off from God's blessing. Jesus said, "The greatest among you shall be your servant" (Matthew 23:11). So live as a steward who cheerfully gives, knowing that "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23). Stewardship is Counter-cultural because while society encourages us to strive for more and more, stewardship helps us to understand that we already have more than enough. Stewardship is being a faithful disciple who puts God first in all things and follows where the Lord leads. Stewardship is trust; its faith in action; it's a way of life by living according to God's Kingdom principles. Being a steward is to be Christ-Focused, Bible-Centered, and Service-Oriented. Stewardship is an invitation to live with joy and gratitude for the blessings you have received. Christ invites you to come to Him. He invites you to receive His salvation. It's the greatest invitation you'll ever receive, so receive it with joy and gratitude, and live a life as such. Go out today and do something for someone that they can never repay. "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" AMEN You Give You're The Saints Encouraged Charis Receive Circle Saints Pray, Are Encouraged, & Give More 2