Stewardship
We must understand that the time, abilities, resources, nances, and standing in society that we have been given are gifts to us from God. In John 3:27, John the Baptist responds to people questioning the growing following of Christ over his own following and he says, “a man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” John the Baptist attributed the following that he had to God alone and like Job, realized that God gives and takes away (Job 1:22).
In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul tells the church at Corinth, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” No one should give simply because they are forced to (compulsion) or with the wrong attitude (grudgingly). Each person should seek God in determining what to give in the areas of their time, abilities, resources, nances, and standing in society.
As we saw when we learned about the Holy Spirit, each one of us is bestowed with certain gifts to use for the bene t of the church. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” This verse is saying that, rst and foremost, God has given grace to those who have believed and confessed Jesus Christ as Lord. We are to be good stewards of this grace by using the special gift that God has given us in order to serve one another.
We are to honor God with the things He has entrusted to us, whether great or small. We see this in Matthew 25:14-28 in the parable of the talents. The third servant was given one talent and did nothing with it. He was counted as wicked, lazy, worthless, and was ultimately thrown out.
Where we spend our time, abilities, resources, nances, and standing in society shows what we have placed value on. Matthew 6:19-20 says, “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 neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” Our stewardship should not be wasted on the meaningless pursuits of this world, but rather should be spent on furthering the kingdom of Christ and looking forward to our eternal reward in heaven with God. Matthew goes on to say in verse 21, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Discussion Points
Are you responsibly using the time, abilities, resources, nances, and standing in society to honor God?
If not, how will you change in order to honor God by responsibly using what He has given to you? If so, how?