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NOTE: This article is part two in a series of articles focused on biblical stewardship encouraging us to take a closer look into how to become biblical stewards of what God has given to us and our church. Part one can be found in the October newsletter.

 Our Role as Stewards

God has entrusted the managing of His resources to us.

-You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day (Deuteronomy 8:18)

-The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts (1 Samuel 2:7)

-Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all (1 Chronicles 29:12).

We all work hard to convert our time and skills into a salary that will sustain us. But that should not make us feel entitled. God gives us the ability to work and make a living. So not only do we have the honor of managing His assets, we are supported by those resources as well. And there lies the tension of stewardship.

Ultimately, stewardship is about recognizing that the world is God’s and we are simply managers of His resources. This includes everything we tend to think of as our own. It comprises our money and possessions, but it also includes resources like our time, energy, and skills. Our goal as a steward/manager is to faithfully use these resources for the Lord.

 Jesus’ parables about stewardship

During Jesus’ ministry, He taught on the subject of stewardship multiple times. To fully understand stewardship, we need to wrap our heads around these parables.

 Parable 1: The parable of the shrewd manager: Luke 16:1-13

There are a few parables that always seem to leave people scratching their heads, and the parable of the shrewd manager is one of them. We are used to parables where the listener is expected to imitate one of the main characters. That is not the case here. None of the individuals seem to be very praiseworthy. So what is Jesus getting at?

The rich man discovers that his steward is mismanaging his affairs and fires him. The steward has become accustomed to a particular lifestyle and is not too excited about having to beg. So he decides to use his position to build a relationship with the people who owe the rich man money. That way, he will hopefully have somewhere to work in the future.

Jesus’ point is that the unbelieving people in the world tend to be more shrewd with worldly resources than the “sons of light.” He is telling His followers to use money (which typically has a corrupting influence) in a future-oriented way. We are not to copy the shrewd manager’s behavior; we are to notice his ingenuity in preparing for the future.

It is a reminder to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, “where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20). Obviously we cannot literally store treasure in heaven; we do it by investing in things that God cares about.

 Parable 2: The parable of the talents: Matthew 25:14-30

In the parable of the shrewd manager, Jesus encourages His followers to use God’s resources in a way that considers their future. In this parable, Jesus encourages stewards to ensure that they are using God’s resources in a way that will bring in a return on His investment.

The master in Jesus’ parable has expectations for his resources, and this places a responsibility on the stewards to manage them in a way that meets or exceeds those expectations. In this case, any improvement upon what they have been given is acceptable. It is important to realize the steward that incited the master’s wrath did not lose any money – he simply did not offer any return on the master’s investment.

For the Christian, this means that every asset and resource in our lives should be managed with an eye on growing the Kingdom. Everything from the way we use our time to the way we spend money should be done with the understanding that the master could return at any time and demand an account.

Next month, in part 3 of Biblical Stewardship, we will take a look at what being a biblical steward means for us.