030707 Biblical Stewardship Principles II
“Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God—God’s family, the church—in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
The second umbrella is “Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!”
II/8. GOD'S STEWARDS ARE MANAGERS, NOT OWNERS.
What does this mean?
God's stewards have been entrusted with life and life's resources and given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully managing them for Him.
What does God's Word say about this?
Gen. 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Meaning: Adam is the divinely appointed manager of God’s garden. The blessing of this work is that the earth always produced as God intended it to do.
I like to think that Adam was the only man who never had to take his lunch to work. His lunch was aptly provided for in the garden of God. It’s similar for us today. I mean, everything we have we work for, but we are endowed with various talents to do different things by our Creator. That allows us to make a living from our toil. God be praised!
Ps. 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (cf. Ps. 89:11)
Meaning: There is nothing that the Lord did not make and provide to make the earth green and productive.
Foundational to the subject of “ownership” are several scriptures that clearly teach that God is Creator, and therefore has the absolute right of ownership of all things.
Man was given the responsibility to manage these resources. Gen 1:26: "Then 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 birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Being managers of all these created things needed special abilities; indeed, the one given such responsibility would have to bear God’s own image—otherwise, the manager would not know what to manage, or how to manage it. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Gen 1:27
Did you note the partnership of management given to man? Created in God’s own image man is created male and female. (Not implying that God is male and female) That gender partnership was to be for the absolute benefit of managing God’s good creation. That partnership was terribly damaged by the fall into sin. God have mercy on us.
1 Chron. 29:14 But whom am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. (cf. 29:1-20)
Meaning: No matter how generously a person might give of himself or of his material wealth, he would not have a thing if God had not provided it in the first place.
God is merciful and His providence extends over all creation. David had it right when he prays this pray in Chronicles. I mean, talk about a free-will offering. Gold and silver, the abilities of man to build, and the use of their time and labor to bring it all together is the context of this passage. And as managers we too can say with King David: But whom am I, … that (I) should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. I suspect this attitude of the heart is what motivated those early Christian people in Macedonia.
2 Cor. 8:5 And they [Macedonian Christians] did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. (cf. 8:1-7)
Meaning: God’s stewards have an uncanny ability to trust that the Lord can, and does, provide all that is needed. Thus, they in devotion to the Lord give out of a glad resolve to share even the little they might have with those who do not have enough.
Sometimes, I have to confess, my heart does not have the fullness of that kind of attitude. “I want things for myself, and others should work to get theirs” is all too often the motivation of my heart. What about yours? I suspect it is very similar for you. That only points out our need for on-going adjustments to our attitudes. That is what Paul says, isn’t it? “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Without these changes of attitude we easily loose sight of our God-given responsibility, as Jesus Himself makes known in …
Luke 12:48b From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (cf. 12:41-48)
Meaning: God’s stewards are pleased to be managers of God’s possessions—especially of the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
Gee, those words scare me! And that is precisely the effect on us the law is to have. So, I’m curious regarding how much responsibility we think we have for keeping the work of the church green and productive? “Stay dressed for action” Jesus tells His disciples just before this verse. They will have the responsibility of managing the kingdom with the treasure and talents they are being given. They are given responsibility over God’s house—and so are we! Thus, St. Paul, in faithful management of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God says …
1 Tim. 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.
Meaning: God’s ownership of all things is basic to a proper understanding of stewardship. Without that understanding, why would anyone “put their hope in God”? Life with God is so much more than merely holding onto the world’s wealth. It is using that wealth—whether it be in the form of personal abilities, time, or treasure, to do that which glorifies God.
What I find so comforting is this: God does not give us any responsibility without also giving us the gifts to carry them out faithfully. God be praised! Management of time treasure and talent is a gift of pure grace. With that grace comes forgiveness for our poor management. With that grace, we continue to be blessed with good things and empowered for management that He may indeed be glorified through us.
How is this done?
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will:
· Encourage proper management of all of life and life's resources for God's purposes;
· Promote materials and approaches to stewards that are firmly grounded in the Owner/manager understanding of stewardship;
· Encourage cheerful, first-fruit, proportionate (including but not limited to tithing) living and giving in all areas of life by Christian stewards; and,
· Receive and use God's gifts with thanksgiving.
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will not:
· Approach the steward as if he or she is the Owner;
· Neglect to remind the steward of Who the Owner is;
· Forget the Owner for the sake of the interests of the entity being represented; or,
· Fail to remind Christian stewards that greater blessings call for greater responsibility to manage them according to God's purposes.