Stewardship

April 25

Joshua 13-14

Psalm 50:16-23

Proverbs 12:4-5

Luke 16:1-13

Stewardship

“He who is faithful in a very little things is faithful also in much, and he who is unrighteous in a very little things is unrighteous also in much.  Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?  And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own.  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth.” 

Luke 16:10-13 LSB

Luke 16 begins with Jesus telling the parable of the dishonest steward. The lesson Jesus taught in this parable is that we should use worldly wealth wisely because we will be accountable for what we do with all the resources God entrusts to us.  We should use the resources to build relationships with others and serve others rather than hoarding our wealth for our personal use.  This includes our material possessions and money as well as our time, abilities, talents and energy. 

            Jesus expanded on the parable in verses 10-13 when He explained that if someone is faithful in little, he can be trusted with more, but if he is unfaithful with little, then he will be unfaithful with more so he will not be given “true riches.”  The true riches He is referring to is responsibility in God’s kingdom and the eternal rewards that go along with faithful service.  He finished with the warning that you cannot serve two masters. No one can serve both God and money.  Money can become your master no matter how much or little of it you have.  We want to think that only people who are very wealthy allow money to control them, but I would argue that is not the case.  Those who have a lot of money can become obsessed with continuing to get more and more.  They can spend all of their time and energy trying to get more things so that they always have the latest cars, clothes, technology, etc.  But those who don’t have as much can just as easily become obsessed trying to make more.  They can become so focused on what they don’t have that it becomes an obsession as well. This leads to discontentment and ingratitude.  I know people in both situations.  But I also know several very godly people who have what most would consider to be substantial wealth.  Money is not their master.  They use their resources wisely and are very generous with what God has given them.  As a result, God has expanded their wealth so that they are able to give even more to help others.  I can also think of a few people who do not have a lot of money who are stingy and greedy and do not use their resources wisely.  They struggle constantly and God has not chosen to give them more.  I have to believe that this principle may explain why.  Our bank statement is a good indicator of our priorities.  What does your bank account reflect?  Are you prioritizing building God’s kingdom?  Are you giving generously to others?  As we saw yesterday, He already owns everything.  We are just the stewards of His money.  Is He pleased with the way you are managing His wealth?  Are you a good steward?