What is Biblical Stewardship?
What is biblical stewardship? The belief that God is the owner of everything we have and we are just managing it on his behalf. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
A steward is someone who manages resources or property on behalf of its owner in accordance with the owner’s wishes. The steward is not the owner. The steward is not the one setting the vision and direction for how the resources should be used. Rather, the steward manages things the way he or she believes the owner wants them to be managed according to the owner’s priorities and values.
Stewardship takes God seriously when he says that everything belongs to him. Our time, talents, resources, even our family belong to God. We don’t get to manage them however we want because they are not ours. We should manage them the way God wants us to.
Stewardship Examples in the Bible
A beautiful example of stewardship in the Bible is Hannah and her son Samuel in the first chapter of the first book of Samuel. Hannah took God’s ownership of her son so seriously that she sent him to live in the temple and serve God.
Nowadays, most of us are not going to drop off our kids at our local church as an act of stewardship, but our stewardship may look more like that of Samson’s parents in Judges 13. They received a word from the Lord regarding how they were to raise their son and they obeyed. They did not raise Samson according to their own values and priorities. They raised him the way God wanted him to be raised because they saw him as belonging to God and only entrusted to them for a season.
How the Principle of Stewardship Impacts Behavior
In the church, stewardship is most commonly discussed in relation to our finances. In Haggai 2:8, we read, “'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” God says all of the wealth and riches of the earth are his.
If you truly believe this, how will it change how you handle your finances? First, you will experience a mindset shift. You will go from thinking, “The money is mine and I can do whatever I want with it,” to “The money is God’s and I am his steward.” You will begin to adopt an eternal perspective instead of just considering this lifetime when making financial decisions. Instead of trying to keep up with the people and culture around you, you will start to ask yourself, “How much is enough?”
The way our American culture approaches money, as if it’s all ours to do with as we please, often leads to feelings of dissatisfaction and greed. You will never have enough. Someone else will always have more than you. All of the weight and responsibility of making good decisions is on you.
God’s way, biblical stewardship, leads to contentment and generosity. You don’t fret when the stock market drops because it was never yours to begin with. You have an omniscient God to turn to for guidance instead of feeling pressured to figure it all out on your own. You realize that money is just a tool used to build a much greater Kingdom than a goal in and of itself. You learn to be content, just like the Apostle Paul described in Philippians 4:11-13:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
As your perspective changes, your financial behaviors will follow suit. If the money is not yours, then you have to be prepared to give an account for it. Thus, the first step is to know what money you have under your management and what is happening with it.
Once you’ve set the foundation of budgeting, then you will begin to apply Biblical principles to your finances. You will start to practice generosity, create margin, and save for the future.
Help for your Stewardship Journey
You are the one that God has called to steward the resources under your care but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Here at Guide Financial Planning, we feel that God has called us to partner with other believers on their stewardship journey to provide wise counsel and knowledgeable guidance. As financial planners, we do not take over our clients’ stewardship responsibilities. Rather, we guide them as they steward the finances that God has entrusted to them.
If you want an experienced guide on your stewardship journey who has studied both the Bible and the US financial system in depth, we would love to come along with you. You can schedule a free introductory call here to learn more about what that would look like and who we are.
I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.
If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Psalm 50:9-12
About Guide Financial Planning
Guide Financial Planning is led by founder Ben Wacek, who is a Christian fee-only Certified Financial Planner® and Certified Kingdom Advisor®. He has a passion for helping people of all income levels make wise financial decisions and steward their resources from an eternal perspective using Biblical principles. Based in Minneapolis, MN, he works with clients both locally and virtually throughout the country and abroad. You can follow the links to learn more about Guide Financial Planning and our team and the services we offer.