Stewardship is a biblical concept that refers to the responsibility of humans to manage, oversee, and take care of all that God has entrusted to them. The Bible makes it clear that everything we have – our time, talents, treasures, and the earth itself – belongs to God. As His stewards, we are called to be faithful in how we use and care for these good gifts. Stewardship encompasses many aspects of the Christian life.
Stewardship of Creation
In Genesis 1:28, God gives mankind dominion over the earth and instructs them to subdue and rule over it. This implies a responsibility to care for and cultivate God’s creation. We are mere stewards of the earth, not owners. As stewards, we should seek to preserve and protect the environment as an act of faithful stewardship. Proper stewardship of the earth and its resources means using them wisely and sustainably.
Stewardship of Our Bodies
Our bodies are not our own but have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). As stewards of our physical bodies, we are called to honor God by keeping our bodies healthy and pure. This includes practices like eating nutritiously, exercising regularly, avoiding harmful substances, and keeping sexually pure. We glorify God by stewarding our bodies well.
Stewardship of Our Gifts and Abilities
We all have natural talents and spiritual gifts given by God to build up the church (1 Peter 4:10). As stewards, we are responsible for discovering these gifts and abilities and leveraging them for God’s purposes. This requires good stewardship – developing our talents through training and practice so they can be deployed effectively for the kingdom. Using our gifts faithfully is key to stewardship.
Stewardship of Relationships
Our relationships with others are a trust from God that requires careful stewardship. We are called to invest in the spiritual development of others through discipleship and mentorship. Building deep Christian community is also key. Marriage in particular is a covenant relationship requiring sacrificial love and service. Parenting is also a solemn stewardship obligation. Stewarding relationships well brings glory to God.
Stewardship of Time
Time is perhaps our most precious resource as mortal beings. We are exhorted to make the best use of our time (Ephesians 5:16). This means employing our time well for God’s glory – being diligent in work, while also carving out time for rest, worship, service and building relationships. Scheduling our time wisely and avoiding time-wasters is crucial. Our days are limited, so we must steward our time well.
Stewardship of Wealth and Possessions
A big aspect of stewardship is how we handle money and possessions. We are merely stewards, not owners, of wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). This means using our finances responsibly, avoiding waste and excess, practicing generosity towards others, and giving faithfully to advance God’s work. Wealth is a tool to be stewarded, not hoarded for selfish gain. Our spending, saving, and giving all have implications for stewardship.
Stewardship in Work
Our work is a realm for stewardship. We are called to work diligently and ethically as if serving the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Making excellent products and providing outstanding service demonstrates stewardship. Doing all for God’s glory, not simply personal gain, is crucial. Stewardship also shapes how we treat employees, customers and conduct business transactions justly and honestly.
Tithing as an Expression of Stewardship
Tithing, giving 10% of income to God’s work, is one important way we enact stewardship (Malachi 3:10). It expresses the acknowledgment that all we have belongs to God. Tithing demonstrates trust in God’s ongoing provision. It funds ministry work and the spreading of the gospel. Faithful tithing exemplifies and promotes greater stewardship in other areas of life.
Stewardship Requires Accountability
While stewards are entrusted with significant responsibility, the Bible reminds that we are still under accountability to God for how we steward His resources. We will all give an account to Him (Romans 14:12). This should promote diligence and faithfulness as stewards. God rewards those who steward His resources well for the glory of His kingdom.
Jesus as the Model Steward
Jesus embodied perfect stewardship during His earthly ministry. He used His limited time on earth to fulfill His Father’s purposes – healing, teaching and discipling others, while denying worldly temptations that could have distracted from His calling. Jesus exemplified dependence on God, generosity to the needy and sacrifice for others. As His followers, Jesus sets the pattern we are to emulate as stewards.
Stewardship Involves Trust in God’s Provision
Exercising stewardship rightly involves trust in God’s ongoing provision. As we are generous in giving and investing in kingdom work, we must believe that God will continue providing for our basic needs. When we steward well, we can trust God to care for us. He is El Shaddai, the God who provides. Stewardship requires resting in His sufficiency.
Stewardship Blesses Future Generations
When we steward resources faithfully, future generations reap the benefits. For example, wise stewardship of finances allows us to leave an inheritance for our children (Proverbs 13:22). Stewardship of the environment ensures sustainability for the future. When we disciple young believers well today, generations yet unborn will be blessed. Good stewardship has ripple effects.
Stewardship Produces Eternal Rewards
While earthly resources like money fade away, Jesus taught that how we steward temporary riches has bearing on our eternal standing before God (Luke 16:11). Those who live as wise stewards, advancing God’s interests rather than their own, will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:21). Our short-term stewardship choices yield eternal dividends.
Stewardship as an Act of Worship
Stewardship is not drudgery but an act of worship and gratitude to God. We honor God by taking good care of what He has entrusted to us. Giving generously back to Him demonstrates loving devotion. Utilizing our gifts and abilities for His glory is an offering of praise. Stewardship flows naturally from hearts of worship toward our gracious Provider.
Proper Stewardship Requires Ongoing Faithfulness
Stewardship is not a one-time choice but requires ongoing faithfulness. We demonstrate trustworthy stewardship by making stewardship a habitual lifestyle, not an occasional action. Consistency in small things, over the long haul, marks a wise and responsible steward who takes the duty seriously day in and day out.
Stewardship Involves Risk and Sacrifice
While stewardship includes many benefits, it often requires taking risks and making sacrifices. Wise investment of resources means the possibility of zero return. Generously releasing finances to God’s work means less comforts for self. The best stewards are willing to risk and sacrifice by faith when needed to fulfill their calling.
Sin as Poor Stewardship of Life
When we live selfishly and fail to manage areas of life according to God’s purposes, we engage in poor stewardship. Sin often arises from taking good gifts from God and misusing them for the wrong reasons. Addiction, sexual sin and financial irresponsibility all represent a squandering of opportunities given by God to live an abundant stewarded life.
Repentance as the Path Back to Stewardship
When we fail at stewardship, the path forward starts with repentance. We must humble ourselves and acknowledge the gravity of poor stewardship. We must make amends where possible. Then we seek God’s grace to walk again in faithful stewardship, allowing Him to guide the use of His gifts in us. God is gracious to restore repentant failures into trustworthy stewards once more.
Prayer and Planning Enable Stewardship
Wise stewardship does not merely happen automatically. Two essential disciplines are prayer and planning. We must pray for God to give us discernment as stewards along with the strength to steward well when it is difficult. Planning helps us prepare concrete stewardship goals and practices. Prayer and planning work hand in hand to facilitate good stewardship.
Stewardship Applies to All Believers
Stewardship is incumbent upon every believer in Jesus, not just church leaders and wealthy philanthropists alone. We are all stewards of the resources, small or great, that God has placed in our hands. No one is excluded from the biblical duty of stewardship. Applying stewardship appropriately at each season of life brings glory to God.
Stewardship Honors God
The ultimate motivation for biblical stewardship is the desire to honor God. We steward out of loving obedience to Him and gratitude for all His kindness. Any other motive – fear, pride, the approval of others – is subpar. While practical benefits of stewardship abound, the highest aim is singleheartedly to glorify God through stewarding His gifts well.
Stewardship Benefits the Needy
Faithful stewardship directly leads to blessing those in need. As we give generously, volunteer our time, and use our resources wisely, we are able to serve disadvantaged people around us. Good stewardship at its best is other-focused. This reflects the truth that all we manage belongs ultimately to God and His purposes in the world.
Stewardship Produces Lasting Fruit
When done with the right motives, stewardship results in lasting spiritual fruit in people’s lives. Generous givers see God’s provision. Wise managers experience the benefits of discipline. Skilled stewards of gifts and abilities cultivate excellence. Investing time in discipleship bears spiritual fruit. As stewards, we taste the blessings God desires us to experience.
Stewardship Extends to Future Generations
Our stewardship obligations do not end with our own lives. We are called to create legacies of good stewardship that benefit generations to come. For example, this may mean stewarding environmental resources in sustainable ways, leaving an inheritance for our children’s children, or instilling stewardship values in young people we mentor. Our stewardship ripples into the future.
Stewards Will Be Held Accountable
While stewards in this age have significant authority over resources, we are still under God’s authority. Good stewards recognize that one day we will all give an account before God for how we have stewarded His gifts (Luke 16:2). This future accountability should promote diligence, wisdom and integrity among stewards today.
Stewardship Includes Taking Care of Ourselves
While stewardship involves great responsibility to manage well for God’s glory, good stewards are also called to care for themselves. Taking Sabbath rest, maintaining healthy boundaries, and caring for our own spiritual, emotional and physical health are key. We best fulfill stewardship duties when we are thriving ourselves. Self-care enables sustainable service.
Stewardship Comes With Great Reward
Jesus taught that faithful stewards who do the master’s will with diligence and integrity, whether over small or large matters, will be rewarded richly for their service (Matthew 25:14-30). While the work of stewardship can be demanding, God promises to honor and bless those who steward His gifts well for the advancement of His eternal kingdom.
