Stewardship: Faithfully Managing God's Blessings And Resources

Being a good steward of God means being a faithful servant and manager of the gifts He has given you. Stewardship is about taking care of and managing the resources, talents, and responsibilities God has entrusted to you, including your money, possessions, time, and spiritual gifts. It is about using these blessings to honour and glorify God and to further His kingdom, rather than seeking personal success or gain. As a good steward, you should be diligent, hardworking, and willing to take reasonable risks to build up and increase what God has given you. This involves serving and caring for others, being generous and sharing with those in need, and being a faithful witness of the Gospel. It also means being a wise and humble servant, always mindful that you will be held accountable by God for your stewardship.

Be humble

Humility is an important aspect of being a faithful steward of God. Here are some ways to cultivate humility and be a good steward:

• Recognise God's Sovereignty: Acknowledge that God is the owner of everything, including your possessions, talents, and even your life. Psalm 24:1 says, "The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord." Understanding that God is the source of all your blessings will help you maintain a humble attitude.
• Focus on God, Not Wealth: Avoid putting your hope and trust in wealth or material possessions. Wealth can be uncertain and fleeting, but God provides us with all things for our enjoyment. By fixing your eyes on God and His provisions, you will be less inclined to boast about your possessions or look down on others.
• Serve Others: Use your gifts, talents, and resources to serve others and meet their needs. As 1 Peter 4:10 says, "As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another, as good managers of the grace of God in its various forms." Serving others with humility will help you stay grounded and remember that your blessings are meant to be shared.
• Forgive and Show Grace: Forgiveness is an act of humility that recognises the worth and value of others. Let go of entitlement and fully forgive others, especially those closest to you. By cultivating a forgiving spirit, you will be better able to serve and steward the people God has placed in your life.
• Trust in God: Anxiety and worry often stem from a lack of trust in God. Seek God daily in prayer and His Word, and trust that He will provide for your needs. When you trust God and believe in His generosity, you will be less likely to boast about your own achievements and possessions.
• Check Your Motives: Regularly examine your heart and motives. Ensure that your actions are aligned with God's purposes and not driven by pride or personal gain. By diligently checking your motives, you can sidestep the trap of pride and stay focused on honouring God.

Put your hope in God, not wealth

As stewards of God, we are called to be faithful and wise managers of His possessions and affairs. This includes not only our physical resources but also our spiritual gifts, such as our words, faith, and the gospel. While it is important to be diligent and hardworking in managing these resources, we must also remember that our ultimate hope should not be in wealth, but in God alone. Here are some reasons why we should put our hope in God and not in wealth:

Wealth is uncertain: As Paul mentions in 1 Timothy, wealth is uncertain and can easily slip away. It is not a stable foundation for our hope because it can be lost due to various circumstances beyond our control. Instead, we should put our hope in God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.

Wealth is temporary: Our earthly possessions, money, and even our lives are temporary. We will eventually leave them behind when we die or when this present world passes away. Therefore, our hope should be in God, who is eternal and unchanging.

Wealth can lead to idolatry: When we put our hope in wealth, we tend to trust in our bank accounts, jobs, and possessions instead of the Giver. This can lead to idolatry, as we start to value the gifts more than the Giver Himself.

Wealth can distract us from our true purpose: As Christians, our primary purpose is to glorify God and further His kingdom. When we put our hope in wealth, we can become consumed by the pursuit of earthly riches, neglecting our spiritual growth and service to others.

Wealth can hinder our relationship with God: If we find our security and worth in our wealth, it can hinder our dependence on God and our relationship with Him. True peace and satisfaction come from knowing God and having a right relationship with Him, not from our financial status.

To be clear, having wealth is not inherently wrong or sinful. However, it is important to recognize that wealth can be a distraction and a hindrance if we are not careful. Here are some ways we can keep our hope in God and not in wealth:

Seek God daily: Spend time in God's Word and in prayer, seeking to know Him and understand His purposes for your life. This will help you keep your focus on eternal things rather than temporary riches.

Serve others: Use your resources to serve others and meet their needs. This will help you maintain an eternal perspective and remember that your true treasure is in heaven, not on earth.

Practice generosity: Be generous with your time, talents, and resources. Giving to others helps us remember that everything we have is a gift from God and that we are merely stewards of His blessings.

Stay accountable: Surround yourself with believers who can hold you accountable and help you stay focused on God. Find a mentor or small group that can provide spiritual guidance and support.

Remember God's faithfulness: Reflect on God's faithfulness in the past and present. Remembering how He has provided for you and guided you will help you keep your hope in Him, not in your wealth.

By keeping our hope in God and faithfully managing the resources He has entrusted to us, we can honour Him and bring glory to His name.

Enjoy God's gifts

Enjoying God's gifts is a crucial aspect of being a faithful steward. This involves recognising that all we have is from God and that we are merely managers or caretakers of His possessions. As stewards, we must utilise and manage the resources God provides for His glory and the betterment of His creation.

• Give thanks for them instead of complaining. It is easy to take God's gifts for granted, focus on their flaws, or long for something better. By giving thanks, we acknowledge God as the source of all good things and express our gratitude for His provision.
• Keep God first in our hearts. When we put God in His rightful place, we can enjoy His gifts without them becoming idols or sources of discontentment. This helps us maintain a healthy perspective and prevents us from glorifying the gifts instead of the Giver.
• Practise forgiveness. Unforgiveness can hinder our ability to serve and steward effectively. Forgiving others, especially those closest to us, enables us to live in alignment with God's will and to extend the same grace He has shown us.
• Trust in God's provision. Anxiety and worry often stem from a lack of trust in God's ability or willingness to provide for us. By seeking God daily in prayer and His Word, we can replace worry with trust and experience the peace that comes from knowing He will meet our needs.
• Serve others. As faithful stewards, we should use our gifts and resources to serve and bless others. This may involve sharing the gospel, performing acts of kindness, or meeting the practical needs of those around us. In doing so, we honour God and bring glory to His kingdom.

Be rich in good deeds and sacrificial giving

Being a good steward of God involves being rich in good deeds and sacrificial giving. This involves using one's wealth to do good and help others, rather than being haughty or proud. Believers should not put their hope in wealth, which is uncertain, but in God, who provides us with all things for our enjoyment.

Wealthy believers are called to be generous givers, sharing with others, and adding to their wealth another type of wealth. This means being sacrificial and willing to give to those in need. In this way, they will be storing up treasure in heaven and laying hold of what is truly life.

Examples of good deeds that the wealthy can do include hosting the church in their homes, like Lydia, and helping the poor, like Dorcas.

We should aim to grow in our giving, just as we aim to grow in trusting God, sharing God's Word, and loving God and others. We can give cheerfully and willingly, knowing that God will provide for all our needs.

Pursue God's rewards

Pursuing God's rewards is an important aspect of being a faithful steward of God. Here are four to six paragraphs on this topic:

God promises rewards for those who faithfully serve Him and practise good stewardship. In 1 Corinthians 4:2, it is stated that stewards are required to be found faithful. This faithfulness is not just about avoiding unfaithfulness but also actively pursuing faithfulness through our actions and choices. As Christians, we are called to "go" and "do", and this involves putting our faith into action through good works and service to others.

The Bible teaches that God will richly reward those who faithfully serve Him. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus shares the parable of the talents, where the first two stewards invest and double their talents, receiving the reward of "Well done, good and faithful servant". This parable teaches us that God wants us to build up and increase what He has given us, and He will reward us for our faithfulness and diligence.

Being a good steward involves managing the resources, gifts, and talents God has given us for His glory and the betterment of His creation. This includes our time, money, possessions, and even our words and faith. When we invest in others and share God's word, we grow His kingdom, and this is something God promises to reward. As it says in Proverbs 11:25, "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered."

God desires for us to have a heart of generosity and to use our resources to help those in need. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, we are encouraged to give cheerfully and abundantly, and God promises to bless us abundantly so that we may abound in every good work. This is a form of storing up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20) and laying a firm foundation for the future (1 Timothy 6:19). When we give, we experience God's pleasure and intimacy, and He promises to provide for all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

Additionally, as good stewards, we must also be wise in how we manage what God has given us. In the parable of the talents, the first two stewards invested their talents wisely, and this is something God desires for us to emulate. We should seek God's wisdom in how we manage our finances, possessions, and resources, ensuring that we are faithful in the little things as well as the big things.

Pursuing God's rewards involves a heart posture of faithfulness, generosity, and wisdom. It is about recognising that everything we have is from God and using it for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom. As we faithfully serve Him and practise good stewardship, we can be assured that God will keep His promises and richly reward us, both in this life and in the life to come.

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