Principles for Being a Good Steward
In preparation for writing the January 2024 Pastor’s Corner, I discovered the following illustration from an Abingdon Press article entitled “God Is No Fool.”
Once, a man said, “If I had some extra money, I’d give it to God, but I have just enough to support myself and my family.” And the same man said, “If I had some extra time, I’d give it to God, but every minute is taken up with my job, family, clubs, and what have you--every single minute.” And the same man said, “If I had a talent I’d give it to God, but I have no lovely voice; I have no special skill; I’ve never been able to lead a group; I can’t think cleverly or quickly, the way I would like to.”
And God was touched, and although it was unlike him, God gave that man money, time, and a glorious talent. And then He waited and waited and waited. Then, after a while, He shrugged His shoulders and took all those things right back from the man: the money, the time, and the glorious talent. After a while, the man sighed and said, “If I only had some of that money back, I’d give it to God. I’d give it to God if I only had some of that time. If I could only rediscover that glorious talent, I’d give it to God.”
And God said, “Oh, shut up.” And the man told some of his friends, “You know, I’m not so sure that I believe in God anymore.”
Even though this illustration is humorous, it is replete with some insights into why people choose poor versus good stewardship of God’s creation. Instead of displaying characteristics of good stewardship, people present a plethora of excuses that they think are sufficient reasons for being poor stewards. Some people try to justify poor stewardship by blaming God often, despite their failure to prioritize and practice good stewardship. Another reason for poor stewardship is that some people fail to use whatever possessions God has given them. God does not provide everyone with identical resources for good stewardship. Most importantly, everyone has the potential to become a good steward of whatever resources they possess.
At one time, I made excuses for not being a good steward. I also blamed God for my poor stewardship by thinking I could become a better steward if God provided more resources. Like some others, I went through a season in my life when poor stewardship indicated my unwillingness to use the resources God had placed in my possession. I have repented of poor stewardship and dedicated my life to being a good steward of God’s creation and whatever resources He places in my possession. I pray that others will focus on becoming good stewards of God’s creation by understanding and living by the following principles for being good stewards.
Good Stewardship Principle 1: Know and understand that God owns everything. The psalmist declared, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Ps. 24:1-2). God’s universal and sovereign ownership means we are only caretakers of what belongs to God. Thus, we should never think or act contradictory to this eternal truth.
Good Stewardship Principle 2: Know your role in God’s creation. God identified humanity’s role in creation when the writer wrote, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’…..God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth’” (Gen. 1:26, 28, NASB). Since human creation bears God’s image, those image bearers should reflect God’s character by following God’s example of caring for His creation (Ps. 65:9).
Good Stewardship Principle 3: Trust God to provide needed resources. In the Old and New Testaments, God is identified as the faithful provider of physical and spiritual needs (Gen. 22:14; Deut. 8:18; Prov. 10:22; Matt. 5:3-12; 6:33; 2 Cor. 9:8; Phil. 4:19). Whenever we trust God (Prov. 3:5), we never have to worry about having sufficient provisions and resources (Matt. 6:25, 27-28, 31, 34; Prov. 3:9-10). Those who trust God can confidently approach each day, knowing that God will never fail to provide for their daily physical and spiritual needs.
Good Stewardship Principle 4: Know that focusing on our stewardship of the Lord’s glory results in imperishable rewards. To the saints in Colossae, Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:23-24, cf. 1 Cor. 10:31). Good stewards live to please the Lord instead of living to please self and others. They know that living and working to please the Lord adds dignity and secures an inheritance that will never diminish or lose its value (1 Pet. 1:3-5).
Good Stewardship Principle 5: Focus on doing your work with excellence and consistency. The writer in Ecclesiastes 9:10 communicated this truth when he wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” Solomon rightly points out the need to do all that God calls us to do by giving our all to every task. He also reminds us that we must take advantage of opportunities to complete our earthly tasks with excellence because, at death, that chance will cease.
In 2024, ask God to help you become a good steward by following the principles outlined in this article that are biblically and theologically centered. Remember: “God Is No Fool.” Be a good steward!