a good example of stewardship is this: we have somthing in our possession-say a rock-but that rock does not belong to us, it belongs to someone else...maybe a friend, maybe your spouse. you may not care about this dumb boring rock, but the person who gave it to you really does care about it. not only do they care about it, but they are also trusting that you will care about it too while it is in your possession.
we have lots of stuff in our possession. big things like a car, truck or a house...and little things like a garden hose, pot holders, socks. all this stuff in our possession, is it ours or does it belong to someone else? oh, how nice it is to own your car outright and not have a car payment...but is that car fully ours? even better to own your house outright...but again, is it ours? how about a little more basic -- our clothes, our food, our chewing gum? how about even MORE personal -- our hands, our feet, our teeth? is any of it ours?
no, it is not ours. we own nothing. car title? doesnt matter. house deed? pointless. kept your receipt when you bought your peanut butter? dont even try. all things belong to God -- not only all your stuff but also you yourself as well; body AND soul. lets look at the FACTS:
- the land is mine and you are foreigners—you're my tenants. (God speaking to the Jews, His chosen people as they are about to enter His chosen land, the land He is going to "give" them) lev: 25:23
- Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Cor 6: 19-20
- The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declares the LORD Almighty. Haggai 2:8
- And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.Deuteronomy 8:18
- Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it. Deuteronomy 10:14
- For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm 50:10
- For all the world is mine and everything in it. Psalm 50:12
- For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours. 1 Chronicles 29:11
OK, now what? we established that all is Gods...we own NOTHING. do we have to take extra care of this stuff? the boy scouts have a motto: "Leave it better than you found it". in other words, take great care of it. so many of us have stuff that we are not taking care of. i dont know how it is in other countries, but here in america it is very easy not to take care of our stuff because it is very easy to go buy another one. broke the plate? who cares, buy another one. ran the hose over with the lawn mower? it was a cheapy anyway...i'll get another.
God has given us things in this life. where do we draw the line between the small little things that we need not be too concerned with and the big things that are really important? i dont think there is a line. i think we need to take very good care of everything in our possession from the big stuff to the small stuff. you heard it said "dont sweat the small stuff", but i hate to tell ya, God sweats the small stuff. He is VERY concerned about the details. in Matthew 5:18, Jesus says "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." a "jot or tittle" is the smallest part of the hebrew written language, like a dot over top of a lower case i, or a the cross for a t. God cares about the little stuff. also, we all know Luke 16:10: "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much." please explain that verse to me in a way that tells me God does not care about the little things. and lets not forget the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 where the master takes away the money from the guy with the least amount because he did not use it properly -- and then calls him wicked and lazy. face it: God is in the details!
sometimes we need to temporarily make God more human to be able to put into perspective the relationship-ness that we share with Him. i know, relationship-ness is not a word, but you get the point. instead of thinking He is a big, vast cosmic Being, lets for a minute think of Him as a human -- i dont think this to be too sacraligous, for remember Jesus IS God and He WAS fully man, if only for a while. if God was our landlord (which He is) and He cares about the little things (that we just established), how would we feel if He came to visit and check on the property -- your house, trailer, farm, whatever you live in? what if He lent you all the stuff you have and He came to check on the car? the lawn mower? the fish tank? what if He lent you your body, your earthly tent, and He came to check on it to see how you are taking care of it? eating healthy? staying the right weight, brushing your teeth, etc? take an imaginary stroll around your life. pretend God is walking right next to you. "Well done, good and faithful servant" or "wicked and lazy servant"?
so far, we have only discussed the "stuff" in our possession, lets not forget time and money. both belong to Him -- both are expected to be used properly. are you using your time in a worthy manner or are you slothful and lazy spending your precious time watching TV? yes, we are stewards of time as well -- remember the phrase "we are on borrowed time"? it is true. are all of your dollars accounted for? do you have all of your needs met and bills paid? not relying or depending on anyone else or the government and have an emergency savings before you waste money on eating out and buying stuff you dont need? are you using your extra money to help others, as the Bible clearly states that we as the church family are to be supporting those who dont have enough? God does not give us extra money to just waste it on ourselves -- and we surly should not be throwing away any money before we have all of our own ducks in a row.
speaking of money management, too many Christians cry for financial help from others or the government but are in the boat they are in because they are poor stewards of their finances and poor stewards of their time. they dont make the most of their days and when they have a little bit extra money, they blow it. FOOLS! remember, God cannot be mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap!! (Galatians 6:7) life is like a video game, you do not get to level 2 until you suceed at level 1. and you certainly do not get to level 5 without passing level 3. a man reaps what he sows...PERIOD! you dont take care of your little peice of junk shack, DONT ASK GOD FOR A NICER HOUSE! your wasteing your breath. you dont take care of your peice of junk car, DONT ASK GOD FOR A NICER ONE, your not going to get it. he who proves he can be faithful in little can THEN be givien the oppurtunity to prove he can be faithful in more. you have not because you ask not -- you ask but dont receive because you ask amiss. again, God will not be mocked, a man reaps what he sows. also, to ask God for something else when you did not take care of what He already gave you is indeed insulting to Him, for God says "if you love Me, you will listen to Me" (John 14:15). and if being a good steward is indeed a Biblical teaching, than it cant be honoring to God to ask for more.
why do you think that 75% of lottery winners are bankrupt within 5 years? because most people who play the lottery are BROKE. chances are, they are BROKE because they proved to be poor managers of their own money; and if they cant manage one dollar then they cant manage a million dollars! as dave ramsey, the money guru, says: winning at money is 80 percent behavior and being broke is usually a spending problem, not an income problem.
before we can even discuss how to use what God has given us to build His kingdom, we must first complete level one: know what you have and take great care of it, be wise with your time and resposible with every dollar you have. you may not have the means to buy this or that, but you almost certainly have the means to take care of what you already have. if you dont, get rid of it and let someone else have it who WILL take care of it.
your RIGHT as an american is to do whatever you want with your stuff, money and time. but your RESPONSIBILITY as a Christian, a son or daughter of the living God of the universe -- a prince or princess in the Kingdom of God, is to be a good steward of everything that your King has put under your authority.
where do you stand? good and faithful servant or lazy and wicked servant?
