Our posture towards money dictates whether it becomes a tool we use or a deity we worship.Ī steward’s role is to use money as a tool that builds God’s kingdom and takes care of our personal needs, while being mindful of its deceitfulness (Mk. When He uses the word “mammon” as synonym for riches, He’s intentionally personifying money as an alternative god vying for our allegiance. You cannot serve God and mammon.” -Matthew 6:24 (NASB) “No one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. This peril lies in the fact that money isn’t entirely neutral. There’s a danger that sets money apart from the other items we steward. The driving question for those outside of a relationship with God is, “How will this benefit myself or those I love?” From within the kingdom, the question switches to, “How can this resource be leveraged for the kingdom?” The Money Snare But with the right mindset, the perspective changes from “how much of my money do I have to give You, Lord?” to “how should I best use Your money on behalf of Your kingdom?”Ĭhristians look at the world through a different lens, and they interact with the world through an understanding of God’s sovereignty. He isn’t angry every time I buy a latte or see a movie. Thankfully the Master isn’t an angry taskmaster who doesn’t realize that I have needs. Every time I open my checkbook or swipe my debit card, I am exercising my authority as God’s steward to invest His resources. We begin to have a more healthy view of our relationship to money when we think of ourselves as managers of God’s resources. We need to be constantly looking for ways that He would have us invest our lives so we don’t squander the rest of our time on various amusements. We might spend a couple hours in church on Sunday morning and devote ourselves to some quiet time, but the rest of our life is still the Lord’s.
We can’t say that the 90 percent of our resources that we don’t give to the church should be ours any more than we can say that the time we spend outside of church is ours to do with as we please. How we use the time, talents, abilities, resources, and finances God gives us separates good servants from unfaithful ones. Stewardship isn’t just one element of the Christian life it is the Christian life. You cannot serve God and money.” -Luke 16:10–13 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 25:124–30)-the master’s riches in a way that benefits the master’s household. The steward proves his or her faithfulness by using-or in some cases increasing (Matt. The steward is entrusted with caring for the master’s property. Throughout the gospels, Jesus uses the relationship between a master and his steward to describe our relationship to God. We’re simply managers of God’s resources. Genesis begins with God giving mankind dominion over the earth, but there’s never a moment where he transfers ownership to us. Job 41:11Īnd all that moves in the field is mine. Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? The Bible often talks about God’s ownership. As long as you don’t spend it on something evil, it’s yours to do with as you please. In many churches that emphasize tithing, it’s easy to walk away believing that as long as you’re faithful with your 10 percent, the 90 percent is yours.
The concept of stewardship probably gives us the most foundational understanding of our relationship to God and our resources. It comes across as an antiquated and tired, which his incredibly unfortunate. Stewardship is a concept that has fallen out of fashion in the church.
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