“Stewardship is God’s way of raising people, not man’s way of raising money” (Willmer, Smith. 2002.)1
In Romans 12:8 we learn that some excel in the gift of giving. But what about everyone else? We’ve all heard of spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, Bible study, and fasting. What about giving?
In Romans 12:1 the Lord calls us to a life of complete commitment to Him. He urges each of us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The idea here is that we are, “all in”. So, we must consider whether any areas of our life remain unsurrendered and not fully under Jesus Christ’s authority. In other words, have you only given the Lord part of your life as a sacrifice? Do you have areas in your life that remain off limits or that you haven’t fully surrendered to Him? Oftentimes, this area is how we steward the time, talent, and treasure entrusted to us by God. We see this separation in Luke 18:18-23, where a ruler asks Jesus about eternal life. Unfortunately, his possessions controlled him, not the other way around, leading to a sad ending.
This prompts us to examine our daily habits and ensure every aspect of our lives reflects our walk with Christ. After all, following the Lord involves more than just feeling uplifted during Sunday worship. It is more than merely hearing God’s Word without applying it. We are called to live as Christians 24/7/365, and stewardship is an essential part of this commitment. Or, as Dr. Wesley Wilmer and Martyn Smith (2002) state in, God & Your Stuff, “God is not indifferent to our daily financial choices, but is interested in transforming all of our lives” (p.23).
What Scripture says about Possessions
“Possessions are mentioned 2,172 times in Scripture—three times more than love, seven times more than prayer, and eight times more than belief. About 15 percent of God’s Word deals with possessions—treasures hidden in a field, pearls, talents, pounds, stables, and so on. Obviously, God understood that believers would find this a difficult area of their lives to turn over to Him” (Willmer and Smith, 2002, p. 9).
There are four key points the Lord brings forth in Scripture regarding our possessions:
- God owns everything and has provided us all that we have (Psalm 50:10-12, Psalm 115:16)
- We are stewards of what God has provided, which involves management, not ownership (1 Pet. 4:10)
- Everyone was created to give (Gen. 4:4, Lev. 27:30, Prov. 3:9)
- Each one of us will give an account of how we manage the resources God has given us (Rom. 14:12, 2 Cor. 5:10)
Integrating Giving into Christian Life
So how do we integrate giving into our entire Christian life? Because giving is a spiritual discipline, it demands a long-term commitment and daily steps to fully surrender ourselves to God as stewards. Here are three tips that will help exercise the spiritual discipline of giving:
- Declaring Jesus Christ as Lord and Live out that Declaration. This is the first step on the road of biblical stewardship and living a life of generosity. How we handle our possessions reflects Christ and His Lordship over our lives. If He is Lord, then we realize we are merely stewards of the time, talent and treasure God has entrusted to us. If He is not Lord, then we will continue to see it as our money, our time and our abilities and live accordingly. It’s a choice between two masters and the Lord makes it clear that none of us can serve two masters. You may find it helpful to wake up and pray, “Lord Jesus, today I choose to pick up my cross and follow you. May every aspect of my life be fully surrendered to you today”.
- Understand God’s Word as it Relates to Stewardship. Take time to read and study passages such as Matthew 25:14-30 and Luke 16:1-9, as well as reading books about biblical stewardship. You can also sign up for newsletters that provide one stewardship verse every day of the year to help cultivate the spiritual discipline of giving. There’s too much at stake to not understand and grow spiritually in this area of our lives.
- Give to the Lord first no matter what the circumstances. This is another step each of us can take to become more like Christ in stewardship. Instead of paying bills first and giving God the leftovers, prioritize giving God the first fruits of what He has entrusted to you. Each one of us should practice consistently giving according to our means and not robbing God when times get tough. Don’t wait to get out of debt before taking the first steps of obedience. Start now, and demonstrate to the Lord that you will no longer let worldly debt compete with your devotion and commitment to Him.
1 – (Willmer, Smith. God and Your Stuff. NavPress 2002. p.9).