"Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future"

Financial Peace University  

Stewardship is one of the most prevalent themes of the Bible, and yet is often minimized in discussions about Christian life. I must be quite honest in saying that it wasn't until my participation in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University (FPU) sessions that I realized that there are more verses in the Bible that speak to stewardship and finances than just about any other subject. I think it's because stewardship has an impact on practically every aspect of our existence.

I must also admit that like many others, I equated stewardship with only one area: money.   In FPU, we learned that a "steward" refers to the responsibility that is entrusted to a manager, or in other words, "an administrator of affairs and possessions of another." I have learned that from a biblical point of view, stewardship is all-inclusive. It touches every area of our life, including our time and talent as well as our treasure. Stewardship is faithfully using whatever God gives us (our interests, opportunities, skills, employment, family, talents, spiritual gifts, land, money, etc.) for His glory. Teachings on stewardship ranges from Genesis 1-2 when God made man and woman stewards of the Earth, to Revelation 21-22 when God will make His children stewards of the new creation.

At the end of the day, God created everything and therefore owns it all: "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." (Psalm 24:1,2) "The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the LORD almighty" (Haggai 2:8) It is our responsibility to manage God's affairs and possessions. All that we have is His, and whether we have much or little, our major responsibility as His stewards is the same: faithfulness. We all have been given something (talent, treasure, and time) and what's important to God is faithfulness to what He has given us and called us to do (Luke 12:42)

Ok so we might think, all this discussion about talent, treasure and time is good, but where do I fit into all of this? Well let's take a look at each aspect this way:

Talent

Have you ever tried to do anything that you were not gifted to do? I am not a seamstress. If there is anything that needs to be sewn beyond replacing missing buttons, forget it. As my home economics teacher once told me "Baby, sewing is just not your calling." God did not give me an "innate" gift for that. I have a Mom and sisters who can sew anything. It was nothing to see my Mom come home from after work with a McCall's or Vogue pattern and material and whip up a dress fit for sale at a department store within a couple of hours and then go out with my Dad. I have friends with amazing talents who help me and these same persons look at some of my abilities with marvel as I do them. We should appreciate the gifts God has given each of us and not take them for granted. These differences create a need for one another. God wants us to need one another. The Scriptures describe the Body of Christ in the same way. Let's pretend for a moment if the parts of the human body decided they didn't want to fulfill what they were designed for any longer. The body would no longer function effectively because one or more of its members were not performing the functions they were designed for. What has God equipped you for? What role has he called you to play in His Kingdom? God made it so that we would depend on one another and together as the Body of Christ or Church we depend fully on Him. Ask Him if you are fulfilling your role as He designed.

Treasure

I've read and learned that when it comes to governing our financial affairs, we must choose between two radically different approaches: The value of our society, or the values of the Bible. The first alternative tells us to find happiness and peace through money; the second tell us to find the desire of our hearts in the Lord and be content with what He gives us. Money can be a good servant but a bad master - if we follow the world wisdom, money will dominate us, but if we submit to "the wisdom from above" (James 3:17), money will serve us as we use it to serve God and others. The Lord said more about money that He did about any other subject. Over 10 percent of the New Testament relates to financial matters. Why so much attention to financial issues? Maybe God knew we would have trouble managing our money, and we would spend a great amount of time earning and spending it. Or maybe it's because money has a profound effect on interpersonal relationships. In facilitating FPU, I've learned that many people spend the majority of their time thinking about money, and financial difficulties are a major cause of marital conflict and divorce. Last, maybe it is because the way we use our money is a real measure of our commitment to Christ. Scripture relates money to the love of God: "But whoever has the world's goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (I John 3:17). We can put on an appearance of spirituality in prayer, Christian service, and Bible knowledge, but we cannot fake the way we use our money and possessions. Our wallet reveals more about our character and walk with the Lord than we may think.

Time

Does God need our skills and abilities to order to accomplish His purposes on earth? The answer is NO.   Through regular worship during Sunday service, Bible Study, FPU sessions, I've gained a better understanding in realizing that God does not need our skills and abilities. He does however give us the privilege to make time to exercise our gifts and abilities for His service. That service may be as a doctor, teacher, secretary, computer technician, salesman, etc. He calls each of us to our vocations to work unto Him. Psalms 147: 10-11 tells us that His pleasure is not in our strength and ability, but His pleasure is in the attitude of the heart. It is what we find in the heart that helps determine whether ability is translated into availability. God is looking near and far for men and women who are fully committed to Him. When our agenda becomes His agenda, we can expect God to fully support all that we do. If we want to see our abilities multiplied a hundred times over, then we must make them completely available to His service. Where are the opportunities in which God is calling you to be available to Him? The next time you are asked to be involved in an activity, before you say yes or no, try checking in with the Master of our decisions to ensure your gifts and talents are being used as He desires.

We must accept that everything we have in this world belongs to God and is only "on loan" to us. This includes not only our money and possessions (treasure), but also our families, careers (talent) and plans for the future (time). If we can get straight on the principle of 100% ownership, we will be ready for the principle of 100% stewardship. One thing I've learned and know for sure - either way, every day, God blesses us.

- Kim Adams