Stewardship

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, famously stated, "Gain all you can, save all you can, and give all you can."  In other words, "Work hard, be a disciplined steward of God's resources, and live with extravagant generosity."  During his earthly ministry, Jesus spoke often about money and wealth, presumably because so much of our time can be easily consumed with thinking about bills to be paid, jobs to be completed, debts to be paid off, and investments to be made.  Followers of Christ are called to be faithful stewards or managers of God's resources.

In developing a biblical theology of stewardship, we should strive for balance.  Proverbs 30:7-9 says:

Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die.  Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord?'  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

The wisdom of this proverb leads us to a place of contentment whereby we simply ask God to provide for the specific needs of the day.  Worries over future days has no place in the life of a disciple.  The proverb warns of the danger of extremes, either in the direction of wealth or poverty.  Those who have much are often tempted to place their trust in possessions rather than in the God who rightly owns all those material things.  Conversely, the poor are also in danger of coveting what the wealthy have and then stealing things, wrongly thinking that material objects will somehow bring lasting joy.  There is wisdom in balance.

However, to go a step further, there are those who think that poverty directly equates to a deeper level of spiritual maturity and to have few possessions means an increased level of God's favor.  On the other end of the spectrum is the prosperity gospel, a false gospel that connects God's favor and blessing with wealth.  Since we as humans usually gravitate toward extremes, what is a balanced view of stewardship?  

1) Biblical stewardship is intentional.  

Without an intentional plan, we will fail to be faithful as God's managers.  This is where strategic budgeting comes into play.  Those who don't know where their money is going from day to day, week to week, month to month, will most likely find themselves perpetually frustrated about their personal financial situation and, more often than not, discover that they are woefully in the bondage of debt.  The Bible teaches that we will be asked to give an account of the talents and treasures that have been entrusted to us and the rewards given to us will be dependent on how we have stewarded God's resources.  Good, wise stewards know how to intentionally budget and plan so they can gain, save, and give all they can.

2) Biblical stewardship requires a future orientation.

A worldly perspective on wealth focuses on the moment and encourages impulse purchases.  A biblical focus teaches stewardship with an eternal perspective.  Instead of continuously pouring money into items that will not withstand the test of time, Christ followers are called to store up treasures in heaven.  

In Luke 16, Jesus tells an interesting parable about a shrewd manager who was being fired for the mismanagement of his rich boss' estate.  In his last hours on the job, the manager has an idea that will give him some security in the future since he has burned the bridge with his boss and will not be able to use him as a reference in securing future employment.  First century Jewish culture contained a "reciprocation factor" in interpersonal relationships and people relied heavily on having favors returned.  The shrewd manager's idea was to lower the debt amounts on the rich man's debtors so that when he was thrown out on the street the debtors would return the favor by providing him a place to stay and make sure his needs were covered.  In response to this dishonest, crafty action, Jesus makes the following startling statement: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly." (Lk. 16:8)

The "shrewdness factor" was the forward-thinking aspect of the manager's plan.  He was wanting to maximize future rewards.  Jesus, in his use of this illustration, is not commending dishonesty or shadiness in the realm of business practice.  Rather, he is using the manager to illustrate the importance of investing primarily in the eternal future, not the temporal present.

3) Faithful stewards are wise in using God's resources to develop relationships and bless others.

Jesus, in the same parable of the shrewd manager, says, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" (Lk. 16:9).  When we spend money on the development of Christ-honoring, evangelistic relationships, we have the hope of someday seeing the eternal dividends on those investments.  Jesus says faithful stewards can look forward to the day when they will be welcomed into their eternal, heavenly dwellings by individuals who have been transformed by the gospel message--a message that went forth powerfully due to the faithful giving of wise stewards.  It is amazing to think about people we don't even know welcoming us into our eternal home because of money that was sent overseas to a missionary in another country.  When we invest in relationships and choose to bless others, God will take those gifts and multiply them beyond our wildest dreams.  Eternity will tell the full story!

4) Faithful stewards understand the temporary nature of wealth.

Regarding wealth, Jesus says, "...when it is gone..." (Lk. 16:9)  It's not a matter of if our possessions will fade away, it's a matter of when.  Do we live our daily lives with the temporary nature of material possessions at the forefront of our minds?  Do we make our financial decisions based on the truth that what we are about to purchase will not last forever?  

5) A faithful steward is blessed with an increasing level of responsibility. 

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy  with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?  

(Luke 16:10-12)