Stewardship

Words are our method of communication, but rarely do we all put the same definition on them. I find this often in the words of scripture. Words are used that don’t apply to our society and so we tend to put “our definition” on the word and apply it through our definition. I believe sometimes we don’t even give it a “nailed down” definition and the word’s meaning sort of drifts where we want it to be in the context of the moment.

When talking with a group of people I like to get an agreed on definition to these terms before we discuss them. Stewardship is one of those words I hear mentioned from the pulpit or in the hallways of church and yet the meaning seems to change from context to context.

What is a steward? What is stewardship? Webster’s definitions are-

Steward

1. One employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents, and keeping of accounts)

2. A fiscal agent

3. An employee on a ship, airplane, bus, or train who manages the provisioning of food and attends passengers

4. One who actively directs affairs; a manager

Stewardship

1. The office, duties, and obligations of a steward

2. The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care

I really like Stewardship #2. “The careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.” However you define it, it is clear a steward is not the final decision maker.

You are probably familiar with the parable Jesus told in Matthew 25:14-30 about the three servants. They were all entrusted with “the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care”. If you know the story you know two managed to accomplish this well with what they were given and they were rewarded, but one did not and suffered the consequences.

My question to you is, given the definition above, are you acting as a good steward of what God has given you? Or, like the third servant, have you “buried” it? Scripture says “God owns the cattle on a thousand hills”. Is one of those hills yours? Does He own all your cattle or do you have some stashed away for personal use? 

Why do we get uneasy when we are challenged about our personal “stuff” or how we spend our time or what we are doing with our talent? The thing I have come to realize in my own life is I only get uneasy when I am holding something back. When I am a true steward of what God has given me I only want to know what He wants me to do with it. When I am not acting as a steward I am trying to decide what I want to do with it.

I am convinced as humans, with our selfish bent, we can never be good stewards unless we allow His Spirit to guide our decisions and actions. Paul called himself a bond-servant. This is another term that we don’t use in our society. However, if we are totally surrendered (bond-servant) to the Spirit’s leading we will find it is easy being a steward of whatever God has entrusted us with here.

Let’s take finances. Whose finances are they anyway? If we are stewards by definition they are not ours. People say “I give to the church regularly” or “I am a tither”. That is nice, but who decides what you do with the rest? Are you a steward of only 10% and the owner of the rest? I have heard people say “tithing is an Old Testament principal”. I happen to agree. I believe the New Testament says 100% is His. We just need to be close enough to Him to know what He wants us to do with the resources He has entrusted to us. Or as Jesus said often, “Those that have ears let them hear.”