Key #1 – God Owns Everything
Psalm 50:9-12• What does God not own? The obvious answer is that he owns everything
• God has never renounced his ownership to anything
• He has never surrendered his claim to all treasures
• All authority on this earth has been granted to Jesus (Matt. 28:18)
• A healthy realization of this fact calls us to realize that we need to adopt a steward’s mentality towards everything that he has entrusted (not given) to us
• A steward manages the assets for the owner’s benefit without any sense of entitlement to those assets
• It’s the job of the steward to follow the owner’s will
• Do you think of your role as owner or steward when it comes to your assets and possessions?
“Once, a distraught man rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, ‘Mr. Wesley, something terrible happened! Your house burned to the ground!’
Wesley thought about the news, then calmly replied, ‘No, the Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.’
Romans 14:10-12
• Stewards know that at the end of their service they will undergo a performance evaluation
• Your name is on one of God’s accounts and he has given you unlimited access to manage it
• This is a privilege that is subject to abuse
• God trusts you to set your own salary
• You have to draw needed funds from his wealth to pay your living expenses
• One of our central spiritual decisions is to determine what is a reasonable amount on which to live
• Whatever the amount is (which will legitimately vary from person to person), we shouldn’t hoard or spend the excess
• The excess is not ours and it is up to God to determine what we do with it
• What do you do with any money above and beyond your basic living expenses?
• Who determines what you do with that money?
Matthew 25:14-30
• What was the primary complaint against the servant that was given one talent (bag of gold in the TNIV)
• The steward ultimately did what he wanted with the resources rather than what the owner willed that he do with it
• When God returns will he find that you have fulfilled his will with the resources that he has entrusted to you or will he find that you have done your own will with them?
Convictions
• Have you made the conscious decision to act as God’s stewards of the resources to which he has entrusted you?
• Have you given up ownership rights to your resources or do you still struggle with acting as the owner rather than steward?
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My ownership/stewardship often varies along with my mood. Some days I act like the possessions I have are God's, while other days like they are mine.
ReplyDeleteI think the most difficult area for me to act like a steward in sometimes is with my time. A steward is someone who cares for something that belogns to someone else. I often struggle with feeling like there are certain parts of the day that belong to me and where I just don't want to act like every single minute belongs to God to do his will rather than mine. The real challenge can be the more that I do for God's kingdom, the more I can feel entitled to little nuggets of "selfish time". I'm always challenged by the fact that Jesus was always giving to others even when, and maybe especially when, he was tired.
ReplyDeleteMike, have you been able to identify when the moods are coming so that you can begin to come up with strategies to work through those times? For instance, I know that I can get feeling less disciplined in my desire to give or serve when I'm tired, so I now know to prepare myself a little better and avoid getting to that point.
ReplyDeleteI find myself trying to find a place to balance between possessions that are meaningless and everything we have is God's and should be treated as such.
ReplyDeleteI think if God actually physically handed me a physical gift, I would be tempted to feel possessive and protective of the item. Probably placing in in a safe place and not allowing anyone to touch it, it would be extra special, from God himself.
When I think that possessions are meaningless I feel as though they don't matter and don't pay as much attention to them. Sometimes finding the balance between the two seems challenging.
Great thoughts Melissa. How does the classic parable in Matthew 25:14-30 challenge or inform your question and thoughts that you mentioned here?
ReplyDeleteI think I can become afraid and hid the bag(s) of gold in the ground. I believe I do this because I forget that it all belongs to God.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say, I need to give up ownership rights and wholeheartedly act as a steward.
Sometimes I just need to hear it like it is. The last week and a 1/2 have given it to me, that's for sure. I can be like the one holding the 1 bag, not knowing what I am suppose to do with it and in that do nothing. It can almost paralyze me from doing anything. Praying can help with that if I deny myself and pray about it at the time. God has always proven faithful and made it evident.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that convicted me the most in all of this today that can really turn my mind around is that fact that, "A steward manages the assets for the owner’s benefit without any sense of entitlement to those assets". I have no sense of entitlement to the assets I have and I need to quit thinking that I do.
This one can be difficult for me. Some days I am great at living as a steward, but sometimes I really struggle in this area. I find I particularly struggle when I begin thinking along the path of entitlement. Do I pray about what to do with excess income? Usually not. Seems how I am reminded God will call me to account for how I stewarded His resources, today would be a great day to start!
ReplyDeleteAmen Paul. Great thoughts Anita.
ReplyDelete