Stewardship is one of the most important concepts in the Christian walk. It comes down to how we take care of everything God has given us. Stewardship, although it mostly focuses on money, really covers all aspects of our life because everything we have has been given to us by God. Our health is given to us by God. Our relationships are given to us by God. Our jobs/careers are given to us by God. It is all given to us by God. Everything is given to us as a precious gift by God. How we manage these areas of our life is a direct reflection of how grateful we are.
If this is so, why is money mostly the focus of stewardship? It may be the most difficult relationship to manage - Yes, we all have a relationship with money. If we’re not careful, how we handle that relationship can influence how we handle our relationship with God. I always come back to Matthew 6:24, where Christ says the following:
"24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The verse is repeated in Luke 16:13 for emphasis.
No influence in our life can become more toxic, fearful, ego-driven, all-consuming, illusionary, etc., than money. What’s worse is that for every vice, bad habit, preoccupation, addiction, etc., money is the fuel that keeps it alive.
Christ could have put out any other topic or a broader topic in his message – yet – he calls out the idol of money as the singular biggest threat to our relationship with Him. I don’t think we always fully grasp that reality. That is why rededicating daily to a life of stewardship is so important. This is why when we practice stewardship, it is important to be intentional.
Being intentional keeps the hierarchy in the right order in our lives. Being intentional says we are going to do everything humanly possible to keep the priority the priority. It is a reflection of our life as we are intentionally seeking God first in everything that we do. It is choosing God’s economy versus how the world views money. It is about recognizing that money is a (g)od of creating illusions of happiness, power, peace, confidence, etc.
Remember, it is about God or money…who takes priority in your life?
Check out Bob's teaching videos at youtube.com/user/prudentmoney to learn more about intentional financial stewardship.
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