Stewardship - Stand In It

Stewardship is the overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving. In Luke 16:2 we see Jesus questioning a steward regarding the poor management of a rich man’s goods, “So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be a steward.’”

In the passage, we see that God is concerned with how we steward our finances. The principle of stewardship holds true in every area of our lives. We are to steward:

•   The gospel

•   Our finances

•   Our opportunities

•   For people who are married - Stewarding of the mystery of Christ as revealed in the mystery of marriage

•    For parents - Stewarding of our children

Our call as Christians is to be found faithful stewards.

In order to steward well we have to understand scope and supply. To get the scope or vision of God, we are to accept the “whole” counsel of God.

In 1 Timothy 6:20, Paul exhorted Timothy, “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babbling and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.”

When our scope is not stewarded well, we get lost in life. We will minimize God’s vision and  turn it into our own.

The supply is God’s “seed” which He has already provided. Philippians 4:19 encourages us by proclaiming, “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Emphasize the word “my God” in this passage. Make it a personal conviction that Jesus Christ is the seed. He is faithful stewarded faithfully, will bring the right scope and understanding.

God supplies us with seeds in several ways:

•   Through the promise of His word

•   Through His Son and all that He is - character and mind

•   Through the seed of the womb, our children

•   Through the seed of finances

Once we know our scope and supply, there needs to be a starting point. You start where you are at and surround what you do have with the scope of God’s purpose and plan. To start, it is necessary to:

    1. Submit as a steward

    2. Honor the Lord first

    3. Think, “How this can be used for the kingdom of heaven.”

    4. Focus on being faithful with your own load

This week be encouraged. It is never about how much or how little you’ve attained; It’s about defending what you have, planting the “seeds” God has given you, and allowing God to multiply it.