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As we continue our Believe series, I’m curious, how many of you are experiencing something during the week that coincides with the Believe topic?
I am.
This week is stewardship and I get hit with a stewardship issue.
Coincidence?
Before we get into stewardship, I want to mention something briefly about last week’s topic, compassion.
Regarding compassion, some of us want to know the ROI (return on investment).
If I show compassion, what will it produce?
How will the person respond?
We put compassion and outcome on a scale and try to determine if compassion is worth our time and effort.
That’s called calculated compassion – I’m not sure that’s Biblical.
Our responsibility is compassion; what happens after that is up to God.
So, let’s just get that out of our heads that we are responsible for results.
I mention that because our topic this week is stewardship, and the same principle applies -
Our responsibility is to manage (steward) our lives well - the outcome is God’s responsibility
- not ours.
We manage, He does the rest.
The key idea: “I believe everything I am and everything I own belongs to God.”
Everything I am and everything I own belongs to God.
That belief comes from
Now what we say we believe and what we truly believe (i.e.
how we live) can be quite different.
So, here are some questions to ponder.
What do I have that God does not have the right to?
What do I have that I have more authority over than God?
What do I have that I have more wisdom than God so as to manage it better than God?
Are there any incongruities in our stewardship (what we say and what we do)?
Some may be wondering, what is stewardship - well, let’s answer that.
What is Biblical Stewardship?
Stewardship in Scripture literally means to manage an estate.
The steward doesn't own the estate, but he or she manages the estate on behalf of the owner.
We can trace this all the all the way back to
“To work” means what it means – to labor, toil, to put effort into.
“To keep” means to watch over, guard, protect, to be attentive to.
Of course, God also told Adam and Eve to exercise dominion over the earth.
This is God’s design.
God did not create humans to be lazy sluggards ….
He didn’t create us to sit around and eat Bon-Bons and watch YouTube all day.
We are called to manage His creation well (His creation includes people, this church …).
Stewardship is labor intensive.
So, let’s define stewardship like this -
1) Biblical stewardship is the diligent and intentional care and management of God’s estate.
What is God’s estate?
We just read it in Psalm 24 – Everything.
Resources, time, talents, health (how we care for our bodies), finances, entertainment, church participation, children, families ….
If Biblical stewardship is the diligent and intentional care and management of God's estate, then answer this – how am I doing?
Can God, right now say, “Well done, good and faithful servant?”
Now, here’s a principle we need to understand.
God’s unlimited resources does not qualify me for unlimited access.
Look at
The way I read this is we can pray for 1 million dollars all we want, knowing that God has it - but if we can’t manage it, if we haven’t been faithful with what we do have ….
As we prove faithful, God increases His blessing - which then increases responsibility.
Please understand that good stewardship of our lives and all we have is a critical part of Christianity and maturity in Christ.
Every follower of Jesus Christ is called to mature in Christ - to grow in knowledge, faith and faithfulness, discipline etc.
The longer we walk with Christ and in Christ, the better stewards we should become.
Got to ask, am I a better steward ….
I am a much better manager of my life than I was in my twenties - some of that has to do with age, but a lot of it has to do with this next truth.
2) Biblical stewardship is less about method and more about attitude, consistency, Lordship and love.
Our attitude toward stewardship reveals what kind of a relationship we have with Jesus Christ.
Let’s do a quick attitude check - spectrum ….
Let’s talk attitude:
A) The attitude of stewardship is all about Christ.
If you think it’s about stuff - missing the point.
Because of Christ’s work on the cross, I am to arm or train myself (my mind) to think like Jesus (Rom.
12:2).
I don’t want to think like me - Chad don’t think right.
The only way to think like Jesus is through prayer, meditation on Scripture and hanging out with people who think like Jesus.
The more I think like Jesus, behave like Jesus, mature in my faith, the more I will steward like Jesus – the earthly passions will diminish and be replaced with the will of God.
This attitude comes from Jesus gave His all for me, for us - so who am I not to give my all to Him – including how I manage His estate?
B) The attitude of stewardship is all about the Gospel.
Again, not about stuff ….
Notice verse two again:
Let’s ask ourselves a question:
Who’s will is dominate in my life?
God’s or mine?
Do the decisions and choices I make reflect my will or God’s will?
Again, stewardship is a life-management issue.
What is God’s will?
Jesus came to preach the good news - and the good news is that people can be saved, reconciled to God, free from sin and death.
Go back to 1
Do you see the attitude of stewardship here?
Stewardship is not about God micromanaging what we have, but it’s about us managing well so that others can know Jesus Christ.
And the truth is, how you and I manage what God has given us will either help advance the gospel or hinder it (2% of Christians tithe).
If we can’t do what God asks us to do because of mismanagement … (health, money, time …).
Let’s talk consistency:
C) Consistency in stewardship is more important than perfection.
What does that mean?
Several things. 1 Tim.
4:7 tells us to train ourselves to be godly.
The idea of training involves progress, growth, learning, improving - it even setbacks, mistakes - but the idea is through discipline, we become more godly.
Stewardship is a part of training ourselves to be godly - part of the journey.
Again, as we grow in Christ, we should become better stewards.
This is more of a life lesson than a biblical principle - I do my best to manage my time, my health etc. wisely and biblically.
There are times I mess up.
Overbook ….
Just this past week, God womped on me.
Tuesday woke up early with a massive headache and dizzy.
Went back to bed - got up later, went to a District meeting - moving slow all day.
Went back to the office and sat and prayed - all God’s doing.
It was a warning to get my head back in the game, refocus on Him, get priorities straight ….
The Holy Spirit was getting me back on track.
Wasn’t sin - wasn’t willful disobedience - just got off the path a little.
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