Kingdom Stewardship
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:9-10
New life in Christ comes with an entitlement. “All things are yours . . . the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23). We have all things because we are united to Christ and Christ with God the Father. However, we don’t have ownership. We belong to God, and everything we possess belongs to Him. We are stewards of the mysteries of God—the truth that has been revealed in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A steward is someone who manages a household or estate. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (4:2). We have been entrusted with the use of our lives and all that we possess, and someday we will give an account for how well we have managed the estate. There is no portion of our time that is ours while the rest is God’s. There is no portion of our money that is ours while the rest is God’s. It all belongs to Him. He made it all and simply entrusted it to us for His service. It doesn’t matter what others think of our stewardship, or even what we think of ourselves. We can have a clear conscience, but that doesn’t make us innocent. It is the Lord who judges us.
Jesus once told a parable about a rich fool. The man produced such a good crop that he had to tear down his barns and build bigger ones. Thinking that he had stored up enough to last for many years, he decided to take it easy—to eat, drink and be merry. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God” (Luke 13:20-21).
On another occasion, a rich young man asked Jesus how he could have eternal life. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, to which the rich man said he already did. Then Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). When the young man heard this, he walked away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus showed the rich young man that his righteousness was self-rightness and that his security was in his possessions, not in his eternal relationship with God.
“You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17-18). We are not called to be stewards of just the results of our labor but also the labor itself. Kingdom stewardship is like the Stradivari Society, which entrusts superb violins into the hands of the artists who make great music. We have enough time to do God’s will. We have enough talent to fulfill our purpose. We have enough treasure to be satisfied. Those who think they don’t have enough time, talent or treasure have crowded God out of the center of their lives.
questions to consider:
What is a steward? What does it mean to be a good steward?
What is the difference between ownership, entitlement and entrustment?
What lessons can we draw from the parable of the rich fool?
How did the Lord reveal the false security and self-righteousness of the rich young ruler? What personal application can you take away from this teaching?
What is more precious to you—your time, your talent, your treasure, your life in Christ, or what matters for eternity? Explain.