Being Faithful Stewards of What We Don’t ‘Own’

When we hear someone speaking about money – a preacher, radio ministry, or TV evangelist – many of us have the same reflexive reaction: We reach protectively for our wallets, literally or figuratively. ‘It’s my money, and don’t tell me what I’m supposed to do with it!’

However, if we believe what the Bible says, we realize it’s really not ‘my money.’ One passage in particular makes this clear: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in heaven and earth belongs to You. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler of all. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12).

 

And that’s not an isolated statement. In another passage, God declares, “I have no need for a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills…. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:10,12). As someone has said, if God needed anything, He could just sell one of the cows.

 

The Scriptures teach that rather than being owners, we’re stewards or managers of the resources the Lord entrusts to us. In one of His many parables, Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:14-30 told the story of a man preparing to take a long journey. Before leaving, he called his servants together and put his property into their care. He gave to one of them five talents of money, another two talents, and to a third he gave one talent. Perhaps based on his confidence in their management capabilities.

 

Sure enough, the first two servants invested the money and earned a substantial gain, while the third simply dug a hole and buried the single talent he’d been given. Upon returning, the master met with the servants to see how they had handled the money. The first showed he had put his five talents to work, earning five more, while the second had added two talents to what he’d been entrusted with.

 

Both were praised by the master who said, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful in a few things; I will put you in charge of many things….” Their diligence would be rewarded. The third servant, however, had only the lone talent to return to his master, who wasn’t happy. At the very least, he said, “you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”

 

The principle behind this parable is one we can apply not only to money, but also to the skills, gifts and experience God has entrusted us with, as well as time and opportunities He sends our way. As the apostle Paul instructed followers of Jesus in ancient Corinth, “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

 

This is the real test of how we handle ‘our money.’ Are we being faithful in how we use it, seeking to spend it wisely and not frivolously or wastefully? And also exhibiting generosity, especially when presented with needs of others that we can help to meet? 

 

It’s the giving part that many of us struggle with the most. Admittedly, with so many worthwhile causes deserving of support, it can put us into a quandary trying to determine where our contributions should go. That can be a matter of prayer, but the Scriptures tell us what’s most important is our attitude. “Each one must [give] as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). He doesn’t want us grumbling as we write checks or enter our credit card numbers.

 

But along with the importance of obedience and having a cheerful, generous spirit, there’s another motivation for our charitable giving. God promises to bless us for it.

 

In Proverbs 3:9-10 we’re instructed to, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, and the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” If we’re faithful to give as God guides, we won’t need to worry about running short in our ability to meet our own needs. The apostle Paul offered this assurance: “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

 

I remember interviewing Stanley Tam, a philanthropist known for giving much more than the 10 percent tithe that’s often debated in Christian circles. In fact, he reversed it – giving away 90 percent of his income and retaining only 10 percent. How could he do such a thing? It was easy, he explained: “I shovel it out, and God shovels it in. And the Lord has a bigger shovel.”

 

Benefits from giving shouldn’t be confined to a material perspective. The Bible doesn’t guarantee if we donate $10 that we’ll get $10 or more in return. What we can count on are blessings beyond a financial measurement. Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). When we give to worthy causes, the recipients aren't the only beneficiaries; we also experience the joy of being part of God’s plan to helping others.

When we get over the idea of it being ‘our money’ and recognize God is trusting us with His resources, we’re freed up from a lot of worry and can worship the One “from whom all blessings flow,” in the words of the Doxology. 

No Need to Stew Over Stewardship

Are you playing your life like a game of Monopoly?

When your pastor announces his sermon is about stewardship, or your church celebrates “Stewardship Sunday,” how do you respond? Many people immediately reach protectively for their wallets or make sure their purses are close by. After all, it’s all about getting more of your money, right?

I have felt that way at times. We’ve just paid the bills, bought the groceries, did our usual charitable giving, and then I hear a message that we’re not giving enough. “That’s easy for you to say,” I think. “You don’t see our budget and expenses.”

Actually, there’s a lot more to stewardship than being asked to share some of your hard-earned cash. Ultimately, our lives in total represent forms of stewardship. We’re given 24 hours each day – how are we going to use them? We receive an education – how are we going to use it? We have unique skills, gifts and talents – what are we going to do with them?

The temptation is to clutch tightly to whatever we have, not just our financial resources but also our time, material possessions and talents. “They’re mine, and I can do with them whatever I want!” we reason.

The problem is we tend to approach this life as if there’s nothing else. That we need to squeeze every dollar and minute for our personal satisfaction. In reality, however, this life we know so well is just a hint, a taste, of what’s to come. In fact, the Scriptures tell us, “’What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived" -- the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Jesus had that in mind when He cautioned His disciples and others listening, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

Then He explained why this is so important: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Again, some may interpret this as a statement about our material resources, but looking at the scope of Jesus’ ministry on earth, it’s clear He had more in mind than bank accounts, portfolios and leisure spending.

When he was president of CBMC, a parachurch ministry I worked with over two decades, Ted DeMoss often quoted this brief poem:

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past –

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

It was a frequent reminder that we needed to review our priorities and make certain we were investing not only our treasure, but also our time and talents for eternity. As someone has said about Christ’s admonition to store up treasures in heaven, we can’t take anything with us when this life comes to an end, but we can send things on ahead.

I recently heard speaker and pastor J.D. Greear use two analogies for the folly of concentrating too much on what we have in this temporal life and failing to appreciate what we can do that’s of eternal value. He said it’s like renting a motel room and engaging in a costly renovation of the space, even though we’re only going to be there for a brief time. Bigger sink, replacing the carpet, new furniture. Wouldn’t that be foolish to spend money, time and effort in refurbishing something we’ll be leaving in a day or two?

His other example was the popular game of Monopoly. Fierce competitors cruise around the board buying everything of value, from Boardwalk and Park Place to the railroads and utilities, multiplying houses and hotels. They smile smugly when other players stop on their properties and have to pay rent. This might go on for an hour or two and then…everything goes back in the box. Game over – and nothing to show for it.

For some of us, that’s how we play this game called life. We devote our energy and resources to things that won’t last, while ignoring opportunities to invest in things that do. If asked to take a stewardship test, chances are our grades wouldn’t be very high.

So when we next hear the foreboding term, “stewardship,” maybe it’s not a pitch for our money. Rather, it might be a timely reminder that the things God has entrusted to us should be used for His glory – and His eternal kingdom. As the little poem says, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Giving – and the Federal Budget

If pastors ever want to ensure low attendance some Sunday, all they have to do is announce the week preceding that they’ll be preaching on tithing. Messages about money attract congregants like vinegar attracts honeybees. “All they want is money,” is a common complaint uttered by some about the contemporary church.

We don’t like being told how to handle our money, whether by the clergy, parents, friends, or sometimes, even our spouse. After all, it’s “my money,” isn’t it? I have every right to do with it as I choose, don’t I?

Whose money is it, anyway?

I don’t intend to explore the concept of tithing, but one principle has helped me over the years in not maintaining such a tight grip on my wallet. As a friend explained, from a biblical perspective it’s not “our” money. We are not “owners” of our possessions, including our cash and bank accounts, but stewards – or managers.

In His so-called Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus told of a wealthy man who, before leaving on a journey, entrusted talents (some money) to his servants. He asked them to manage the money in an appropriate way during his absence, and upon his return, they would give an account of what they had done with it.

Two of the servants invested the talents wisely, doubling the amounts that had been entrusted to them. Both were commended for their stewardship and then informed they would be given even greater responsibilities: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21.23).

The third servant, however, did nothing with the money entrusted to him, choosing instead to hide it until the rich owner returned. His explanation? “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:24).

None of these servants owned the money in their possession, but still were expected to put it to good, productive use. In a similar way, we might work hard to earn our paychecks, but ultimately the money is not ours, but God’s. Our skills, abilities and gifts come from Him. He simply asks us to be wise in how we manage or use our financial resources. And if He asks us to give a portion of that directly to help in advancing His eternal kingdom, is that too much to ask?

This principle reminds me of how “our money” – the taxes we pay to the Federal government – are being used. We often hear, from both Democrats and Republicans, about the “government” funding various projects, ranging from education to highways. Our elected officials, from the President to members of Congress to those who serve at the local government level, seem to view themselves as owners of tax revenues, authorized to use the funds as they choose.

But lately there’s been a strong pushback, taxpayers complaining that in reality the government – Federal, state and local – has no money of its own. They note that in a real sense, government leaders are basically managers – stewards – asked to use the funds entrusted to them with wisdom and frugality.

Government seems to have stepped into the role of the wealthy man in the Bible, described by one of his servants as “a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.”

This isn’t advocating non-payment of taxes. In fact, I believe all U.S. citizens have a responsibility to pay their fair share to support functions of government, ranging from law enforcement and emergency responders who come in times of need to road crews that pave our streets and fill in potholes. If God has prospered us financially, we have an obligation to help in supporting not only His work, but also the public works from which we all benefit.

But wouldn’t it be nice if our elected officials took their own stewardship more soberly? That rather than spending tax monies like drunken sailors, heedless of budgets and growing deficits, they would realize they have merely been entrusted with tax revenues – resources provided by American taxpayers? That they have the responsibility for using them with great care and discretion, rather than acting as if they’d been given a blank check for unconscionable, reckless spending?