Becoming a Better Steward

Becoming a Better Steward

Jesus told a story about a man going on an extended trip. While gone he didn’t want to leave his wealth unattended, so he called in three of his servants to have a staff meeting. He then gave 5 talents of silver to one, 2 talents to another, and 1 to the last servant. His expectation was that each would be a good steward of what they had been given.

Matthew 25:14-15; 23-30
¹⁴ For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. ¹⁵ And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.

On his return he called his servants in for a report. The first two reported that while he was gone they doubled their gift. On hearing the master responded.

²³ His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.  

Then comes the third servant.

 ²⁴ Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: ²⁵ And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. ²⁶ His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: ²⁷ Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. ²⁸ Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. ²⁹ For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. ³⁰ And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

Being a good steward or developing stewardship relates to the very core of living abundant Christian lives. Each of us have been gifted with “talents” from God. Your talents are not arbitrary, nor are they accidental, they are God-designed and God-gifted. And it is up to each of us to recognize these gifts and dedicate them back to the Lord.

Stewarding Our Temple

One of the first ways we should work to be a good steward is with the gift we were given at birth. Our body, and to glorify God in our bodies, we must realize that we are bought with a price. Because of this we should carefully and purposely consider how we treat our bodies. We should treat them as the gift they are. In fact, we need to realize we are not our own, but rather, we belong to God.

1 Peter 1:18-19
¹⁸ Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; ¹⁹ But with the precious blood of Christ […]

Jesus shed His blood to redeem your life. Paul picked up on this theme as well in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
¹⁹ What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

We are not our own, we have been bought with a price, and because of that our body has become a temple to host the Spirit of God. Just stop and truly think about that for a moment, and let it sink in.

Because this body is a temple, we have a responsibility to care for it. Not only have we been made in His image [Genesis 1:26], but we have also been reclaimed from sin [Isaiah 44:22]. Therefore, we must carefully and purposely consider how we use our bodies. We should be careful what we put in our bodies – the foods, the drinks, ALL addictive substances, etc. But not only this, but also what we hear and see, ALL things that enter our body (physically or mentally) need to be under subjection to the Holy Ghost. Why? If we respect God, we respect the gift. If we don’t respect God, we don’t respect the gift. It’s as simple as that. This body was created to be a habitation for God. This body was created to be an instrument of His glory. He should shine through us. People should notice a difference between you and the rest of the world, because you are a steward of His Image.

Stewarding Our Talents

Along with our body, God has gifted each of us unique talents. Since they are God-given, we should dedicate these abilities to God. In doing so, God will use your talent to minister to others.

1 Peter 4:10-11
¹⁰ As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Our talents and abilities belong to God. We own nothing that He did not first give to us. God has entrusted us with aptitudes and abilities, and being a good steward means we must use them for God’s glory, not our own.

I remember when I was in High School, I had to take what was called the ASVAB. It was a test that was given by the US Military to determine an individual’s abilities in verbal, math, science, and technical areas. The scores were used to determine enlistment eligibility and job placement in different branches of military service. Why? Because the military wants to make sure each recruit is placed in the position where their talents will excel. Why? Because if the soldier is in the right job, doing what they are gifted at, then the soldier will excel. If the soldiers excel, then the unit excels. If the unit excels, then the branch excels. When the branch excels, the enemy will have a hard time bringing about a defeat.

So, it is in God’s army. Each of us have a calling, an aptitude, an ability that God has given us. We were made with purpose and potential. Sometimes we fail to recognize our own abilities, or we’ve allowed the enemy to lie to us so long (create a stronghold) that we are unsure of our role in the Kingdom. But there should be no unemployed saints in God’s Kingdom. You should not be content drawing a spiritual welfare check. Pray, fast, seek direction from God, seek counsel from others, talk to those close to you, God will help you as you work to become a good steward of the gift He gave. After all, He doesn’t want to watch you just lay it aside and ignore it.

Stewarding Our Treasure

Matthew 6:21
²¹ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Treasure can include our bodies and talents (as we’ve just discussed) but it can also be our time (as we will discuss next), our relationships, hobbies, commitments, etc. But it is so much more. Literally, Jesus said whatever your heart is set on that will be a treasure. But there’s one thing that most people, if not all people, will find as a delicate and often contentious treasure. Money. The lack of good stewardship in this area has been the root cause of divorce, loss of friendships, business failures, even governmental collapse.

1 Timothy 6:10
¹⁰ For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Our attitude toward money matters. More importantly, our attitude toward stewarding our treasure is a spiritual matter that has eternal consequences. We must make wise choices with our money and finances. We should carefully and prayerfully contemplate and consider how and when we make large, and maybe not so large, life-changing purchases. Our desire should first be to live according to God’s will and secondly, within our means.

Most importantly, financial stewardship provides us with the privilege of giving. First, we have a mandate from the Word of God to give our tithe, which is simply ten percent of our increase. Really, it’s more than a mandate, it’s a challenge.

Malachi 3:10
¹⁰ Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The storehouse is your church, not a charity, not a radio or television ministry, not even individuals in your family, it’s your church. The storehouse is where you receive your bread, your sustenance. It’s who you call and where you go when you have a spiritual 911 moment. The challenge here says, “Prove me now, I will pour out a blessing, and there will not be room enough to receive it.”

But you need to understand that this mandate comes with a warning.

Malachi 3:8-9
⁸ Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. ⁹ Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

Good stewardship is ensuring that that which you are entrusted with grows. Failure to bring your tithe to the church will result in a curse. End of story. After tithing, we are instructed to give offerings.

Deuteronomy 16:17
¹⁷ Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee.

The more blessings, the more you give. It is a heavenly cycle designed by God, so that He can bless you as you bless others. You may ask, “how much do I have to give?” Here’s the thing, God didn’t set a minimum or a limit to offerings.

Luke 6:38
³⁸ Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Two parts of this principle. First, “pressed down, shaken together, running over.” Have you ever bought a bag of chips or a box of cereal and once you open the bag, you’re disappointed with how little there is in the bag. Why? Because there’s more air than product. That’s the same here. Are you giving God more “hot air” than “product”? Second, “with the same measure you mete, it shall be measured to you.” This kind of goes back to the first point, do you want “hot air”, or do you want “product” from God? Really, it’s up to you, but if you are satisfied drinking out of a coffee stirrer, then by all means, knock yourself out.

All levity aside, tithes and offerings should never be an afterthought for a Christian. We give to God first and when we do, He takes care of us and returns our gifts with blessings. Sometimes financially, but sometimes it comes as other blessings. Be a good steward, prove God, watch Him fulfil His Word.

Stewarding Our Time

We should be wise stewards of our time. Every day we wake up is another day on this side of eternity. Again, like the other topics we’ve discussed tonight, our time is no different, it is a gift from God. I must ask, “what are doing with it?”. Are you a good steward of your time? Meaning, “is what you are doing of eternal value?”

Ephesians 5:15-17
¹⁵ See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, ¹⁶ Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

Mark Lowery’s mother, Beverly Lowery, wrote a song titled “The Ground is Level [At the Foot of Cross]. I imagine it comes from the verse in the Bible, “God is no respect of persons” [Romans 2:11]. This includes our time, everyone gets 168 hours per week, no exception. But each of us has a choice about how we spend that time. Our schedules can get cluttered, we can fill our day with activities and meetings, hobbies, commitments, and chores. Most of the time these are not negative, unless the action is contrary to God’s Word, i.e. sinful in nature, but reality is, is it really the best use of our time?

Questions:

• How much time do you spend in devotion (specifically prayer and Bible reading)?
• How much time do you spend at church?
• How much time do you spend with your family?
• How much time do you spend resting (caring for your temple)?

[Pastor’s note: Let’s do a little math. We have been given 168 hours per week. Let’s say you set aside the recommended 8 hours a day for sleep (or a combination of sleep and rest), that leaves you with 112 waking hours. Right now, we only have 2 services a week here at POB, and let’s say that we spend at most 2 hours per service in worship, Word, and fellowship. Do you realize that’s only 3.5% of your time? And still, we have trouble consistently coming to the House of the Lord. Jesus asked His disciples, “could you not watch one hour?” [Mark 14:37]. I ask, can you not give 4 hours a week to God and come to church?

Hebrews 10:25
²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Just think about it?]

There really isn’t a right or wrong answer to these questions. But something to consider is this, ask yourself, “Is what I am accomplishing on a daily basis making any eternal impact for the Kingdom of God?” Time is life’s currency. It is limited and has been given to you to help you develop meaningful contributions to God’s Kingdom and our communities.

If you struggle with the answer to these questions, then take them to the Lord in prayer and let Him lead you. Remember James told us this.

James 1:5
⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

This principle goes much deeper than “book” knowledge, and it applies to each area we have discussed in this session. Find a place to pray, earnestly seek and ask for wisdom in each area, and in doing so, God will help you in Becoming a Better Steward for His Kingdom.