What about non-relational parts of life; how we spend the resources of time, talent, and treasure? Words are our method of communication, but sometimes we do not all put the same definition on them. I find this often in the words of scripture. Words are used that do not apply to our society and so we tend to put our own definition on the word and apply it through our definition. I believe sometimes we do not 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 your time, talent, and treasure that 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? I have come to realize in my own life that 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 try to decide what I want to do with my time, talent, and treasure.
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 bondservant. This is another term that we don’t use in our society. However, if we are totally surrendered (bondservant) to the Spirit’s leading, we will find it is easy being a steward of whatever God has entrusted to us here. Truly the narrow path.
Let’s take finances. Whose finances are they anyway? If we are stewards, 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% of it 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.”
People that know me well hear me quote my mother often. She had many “sayings” that have helped shape me into the man I am today. One of them was her response to a child’s pleading for something. If I would say, “But I really need this thing”, she would simply ask, “Do you need it or do you just want it?” That question irritated me as a child but has brought great guidance to me as an adult.
Many of her “wise sayings” have become part of my communication language. I have asked the “Do you need it or just want it” question to my kids and grandkids many times. They like it about as much as I did as a child, but it does open us up to some great “teaching moments”. Helping them define the perceived need into a want helps mold their thinking as they grow.
It is a good question to ponder throughout life in those “path decision” moments. Do you need some chocolate or just want some chocolate? Do you need a new car or just want one? Would a good used car fulfill your actual need? What Kingdom use will the vehicle serve? Are you going to use the vehicle for more than transporting a few people? How many people should be able to fit in it, 2, 4, 10? Are you traveling long distances? Will you be driving on icy road conditions? These and more questions should be used to help direct your choice.
Do you need more money or just want more money? Do you have ministries you believe the Lord would have you support? Do you just tend to spend more than you have? Maybe you need to learn to live within your budget? Perhaps what you really need is to create a budget and follow it.
Multiple times in scripture God says, “He will supply all our needs”. Are there things in our lives we believe we need but God has not supplied them yet? It makes me think of the Israelites telling God they needed a king. They believed they needed a king so they could be like the other nations. We look at that situation and think why would they want a king when God was leading them? Wouldn’t God obviously be a better leader than a man? Then I think, are we so different? We believe we need something, but what would happen if we got it? Or what would happen if we did not get it? Only God knows how it would affect our future.
One of my favorite song writers, Rich Mullins, wrote these words in a song, “Everybody says that they need just one thing, but what they really mean is they need just one thing more”. It reminds me of the verse that says, “The eye never gets enough of seeing”. The more “stuff” we see people around us have, the more we believe these kinds of items are needs in our lives…not just wants or worse they are simply temptations.
Two of my favorite sections of scripture are Matt 5 – 7 (the Sermon on the Mount) and John 14 – 17 (Jesus’ conversation with His disciples right after the Last Supper). From a truly human perspective I see these as key speeches in the ministry of Jesus. They are His first and then His last major speech. It seems to me they are key “bookends” to His ministry; situations where deep truth was shared. They both address the question of need.
Matt 6:7-12 is the “Ask, Seek, Knock” passage. Matt 6:7 says, “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Some people see this passage like a vending machine. All you need to do is ask and the heavenly vending machine will deliver. As often is true, people read a verse or two of scripture but stop too soon to get the whole picture. Matt 6:9-11 go on to give clarity to the thought. It says, “Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread? Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more then will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
I have heard people say God answers every prayer…except sometimes the answer is “no”. That is not what Matt 6:7 says. It says, “Ask and you will receive”. I find it interesting how we create “principles” to fit what we believe instead of exploring scripture for clarification. I have never read a verse where God says no to some prayers. This makes me realize that prayer is more than a list of what we want God to do for us. Prayer is a seeking of guidance, wisdom, and the will of God. If we are truly seeking God’s will, He will never say no. The key here is His will…not our will.
So, when your child says, “I need a candy bar”, but you know it would spoil their appetite for a healthy dinner, you do not give it to them just because they asked for it. Your desire is to give them “good things”. You say to them, “It will be better if you wait and have a healthy dinner”. Doesn’t that change how we see “Ask, Seek, and Knock”? It is not a “no”. It is a better answer.
In Matt 6:9-13, the Lord’s Prayer, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus said to pray like this, “May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”; “Your Kingdom”, “Your will” not our perceived need. The only things He told them to ask for directly were forgiveness, daily bread and to be delivered from evil. He did not teach them to make a list of needs. Scripture says God knows your needs before you ask. He knows what our daily needs are. He just wants us to recognize Who supplies them and to be grateful.
John 14:13-14 says, “I will do whatever you ask for in My name” and “If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it”. So, does that mean if we end a prayer with the words “In Jesus’ name” we will get anything we ask for? Some preach that message, but I do not think you or I believe that message is truth. So, what does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name?
The Bible Knowledge Commentary published by Cook Communications Ministries helps shed light on the question for me. Their comment on John 14:13-14 says, “In My Name is not a magical formula of invocation. But the prayers of believers, as Christ’s representatives doing His business, will be answered”. They go on to say, “John expanded this teaching in his first epistle. He wrote in 1 John 5:14-15, ‘if we ask anything according to His will…we will have what we asked of Him’.” The goal of answered prayer is to bring glory to the Father. It is not about us and our desires.
Getting back to need or want, I have realized it is all a matter of perspective. The child sees and wants the candy bar and believes it is a need. The parent, with “greater vision”, understands the real need is to satisfy hunger. The need is for healthy food. It is dinnertime. From my finite vantage point, I may believe I need something; to allow me to continue the path I believe the Lord has me on or I may perceive something to be a need for someone else. However, from God’s infinite perspective the thing I am asking for might not accomplish His plan. Like Jesus’ prayer in the garden in Matt 26:39, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want”. My pray for a perceived need must be followed with, “But Your will be done Father, not my will”. I want His narrow path, not my perception of the path.
For example, being the financial provider for my family (from a human perspective), my perception of financial need was shaken twice in the last decade. Because of situations I did not foresee, there were times when I could not “see” how we were going to cover our expenses. The Lord used those times to change my “panic” into “praise”. I found myself saying to God, “I don’t know how You are going to solve this problem, but when You do it will certainly be a ‘God thing’; a test turned into a testimony”. A testimony that will bring glory to the Father. Repeatedly He has filled in the holes in our budget. He is amazing. I do not believe He ever said “No” to my prayers. It was more like, “I have a better plan. Just watch and be amazed”. I say again, He is amazing!
So, I would challenge every one of us too really think it through when faced with the question of whether some “thing” or situation is a genuine need or just a want. It is not that I believe wanting something is bad. It is just that defining it correctly gives our desire a more appropriate place of priority in our life and it reduces stress and frustration when we recognize the difference. Sometimes we do delight in giving our children their desired candy bar…if it will not interfere with the plan of what is best for them.
Christian Life Coach 