Everything God has given us has been given as a stewardship. The nature of our existence means we are not the rightful owners of anything. God is the only self-existence being. We are existent beings. We come from God, created beings, which means we owe allegiance and honor to the One who created us.
We also do well to look to our Creator with the question of, “And so, why have you made me? What is my purpose for existing?” God made us and has blessed us with the stewardship of the world.
Genesis 2:15-18 says, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
God commanded Adam to cultivate and keep the garden. God commanded Adam to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave Adam a helper suitable for him. He gave mankind purpose through meaningful work, protective boundaries, and significant relationships.
Because these come from the Creator and are gifted to us, we possess a stewardship over them. Stewardship is the responsibility entrusted to individuals to manage everything God has placed under their care. Work and its produce (goods, services, and income) are a responsibility to be managed because God has placed this under our care.
How can we approach the stewardship of money? Here are three quick reminders to keep in mind:
- Money Does Not Buy Happiness
Money is a means to an end. It is only as valuable as what it can be traded for it. Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:19-21). Our ultimate happiness cannot be found in this life or by any material possession. The allure of money is it unlocks access to what can make you truly happy. This deception will put us in greater debt and has it has a diminishing return.
- Borrow Money Wisely
The Bible does not condemn debt, but God does warn us, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law,” (Rom. 13:8). And in Psalm 37:21 the Bible says, “The wicked borrows and does not pay back,
but the righteous is gracious and gives.” Borrow money only as necessary and do so with a clear plan and path to pay it to eliminate it as quickly as possible. When you owe a person, you serve your money, rather than your money being available to serve God and to serve others in the name of Jesus. Allow money to be a tool for ministry, rather than a chain of obligations.
- Plan the Use of Money
The parable of the wise stewards reminds us that those who plan and invest reap a reward. Those who have no plan bury their gifts and receive punishment. We were asked at the very beginning of our marriage and jobs to commit to giving at least 10% of our gross income to the church. That was hard in those early years. But that 10% has grown dramatically over the years. That commitment loosened our grasp on the money God was providing, and compelled us to be generous, as we saw God provide again and again. We not only committed to a pattern of gracious giving, but to wise saving. We are thankful for those who helped us plan the use of money.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
