How do we practice good stewardship in our living and giving?
Discussion question for July 24, 2009
Last week we talked about God’s promise to provide for all of our needs. How should we manage our income, assuming that He has provided accordingly? When are we “striving” instead of “stewarding”, and what tell-tale signs should we watch for? What emotions or situations put our blessedness at risk? What impact does this have on our generosity, and how can we give with care?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
Stewardship is a control issue – the things that are subject to stewardship (assets, income, time, attention, talents, etc) either control you or are controlled by you. Good stewardship begins with not allowing those things to control us.
When it comes to our lifestyle, we are allowed to pray for contentment. Proverbs 30:7-9 is a prayer that God not give poverty nor riches, especially if either would interrupt our relationship with Him. Between those two places, irrespective of our comparative standards, is a place of contentment. We can live at peace with what God has provided for us.
Jesus taught that we are not to be anxious about money (or lifestyle issues), but that God knows what we need and provides everything for us because He loves us. Since this is true, we don’t have to guess what lifestyle is “most holy”. We just have to live “most holy” in the immediate circumstances in which we find ourselves.
Good stewardship is a result of growing in our relationship with God. It is not exactly in the physical realm, but we understand it by taking measurements in the physical realm. So, we understand about our generosity and faith by measuring our tithing and giving. We understand about our anxiety and worry by our health and focus. We understand about our lethargy or slothfulness by our service and availability. God cares a whole lot more about who we are being that what we are doing, but we know who we are by what we do. The two things go hand in hand.
The stewardship of giving has two aspects. First, we are taught to give. It is our responsibility to be obedient and give, it is the responsibility of the recipient what kind of stewardship they perform on those resources once given. We are to give with no strings attached. Secondly, there is a stewardship aspect to where we give. We are to give according to our convictions, so doing the background investigation can help us be responsible givers. This does not eclipse our need to give, but adds a second layer to how we should do so.
In stewardship everything leads to and comes from my relationship with God. If my heart is selfish, then I won’t be able to manage any of His resources. If my heart is submitted to Him, then His desires and mine are consistent with each other.
I’m still not sure that a “background investigation” is required or even appropriate. I think in our flesh we want to be “responsible” givers but are we really called to be “responsible”? Pouring expensive perfume on Jesus feet was not “responsible”.
Good question: are we really called to be “responsible”.
In the account of the expensive perfume Jesus commends the lady for the “responsible-ness” of her gift. He takes exception with the fake stewardship of Judas because his heart was that of a thief. The motive behind his question was wrong.
However, here is a real life situation. A friend asked me for advice because he had been giving to charity through his work. The default beneficiary of his giving was the United Way, although he could choose from a short list of other NPO’s instead. Although this was several years ago, at the time the United Way was providing a lot of money to Planned Parenthood, and had just proposed to quit directing funds to the Boy Scouts of America because BSA is a “Christian” organization.
Given that scenario, would you advise the friend to be “responsible”?