"Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
1 Corinthians 4:2
When the word "stewardship" comes up, most people think about some kind of giving drive at their church. Actually, stewardship has nothing to do with giving. It is instead an act of faithfulness with what we have been given. It is the faith and wisdom to do with what we have been given as God would have us do. I am reminded of the model prayer that the Lord gave us. We are instructed to pray that God's will would be done on earth just as it is in Heaven. I think that this is an awesome definition of stewardship.
As mentioned above, one of the vital areas of stewardship is personal finances. Every possession that we own and every dime we have is a gift from God. In the tough economic times that we are going through right now, we understand the value of a dollar more than ever. Many have cut back their spending because they realize the tough economic times; while others have cut back because they have no other choice. (The only people that I know that haven't cut back work in Washington D.C.) We have to change our mindset about money both in the good times and in the lean times.
One of the greatest examples of financial stewardship is Joseph. If you remember, God allowed Joseph to interpret the dream of Egypt's king which predicted eventual famine. With God's help and wisdom, Joseph gathered the crops during the years of plenty to be prepared for the years of want. He was demonstrating that we must always think ahead and not eat tomorrow's food today. In our society today we know very little of that. As a matter of fact, we are doing just the opposite. We are going into such debt that we are actually eating tomorrow's food today. Debt is a crisis that we have decided to live with. It is also an area which God has much to say about. We are told in Proverbs that the borrower is a slave to the lender, but we gladly put on the shackles each and every day.
This past week we saw another "Black Friday" come and go. Millions of people packed out stores early in the morning to get in on the deals before Christmas. Unfortunately, when most of them got to the register, they swiped a credit card through the machine. They will have a Merry Christmas, but that January bill will not be so merry. To be in debt is to say that God can't take care of me tomorrow, so I am going to go ahead of His provision and find someone else's help.
Remember that stewardship is about wisdom as much as provision; we can and we must trust God with our finances. It is good to come to the end of our lives having trusted God and say, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."
May God be your most valuable possession today!
As mentioned above, one of the vital areas of stewardship is personal finances. Every possession that we own and every dime we have is a gift from God. In the tough economic times that we are going through right now, we understand the value of a dollar more than ever. Many have cut back their spending because they realize the tough economic times; while others have cut back because they have no other choice. (The only people that I know that haven't cut back work in Washington D.C.) We have to change our mindset about money both in the good times and in the lean times.
One of the greatest examples of financial stewardship is Joseph. If you remember, God allowed Joseph to interpret the dream of Egypt's king which predicted eventual famine. With God's help and wisdom, Joseph gathered the crops during the years of plenty to be prepared for the years of want. He was demonstrating that we must always think ahead and not eat tomorrow's food today. In our society today we know very little of that. As a matter of fact, we are doing just the opposite. We are going into such debt that we are actually eating tomorrow's food today. Debt is a crisis that we have decided to live with. It is also an area which God has much to say about. We are told in Proverbs that the borrower is a slave to the lender, but we gladly put on the shackles each and every day.
This past week we saw another "Black Friday" come and go. Millions of people packed out stores early in the morning to get in on the deals before Christmas. Unfortunately, when most of them got to the register, they swiped a credit card through the machine. They will have a Merry Christmas, but that January bill will not be so merry. To be in debt is to say that God can't take care of me tomorrow, so I am going to go ahead of His provision and find someone else's help.
Remember that stewardship is about wisdom as much as provision; we can and we must trust God with our finances. It is good to come to the end of our lives having trusted God and say, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."
May God be your most valuable possession today!
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