Stewardship is not ownership. Since ancient times, a Steward was a person trusted with taking care of and overseeing property, but the Steward did not own it. He simply managed his employer’s property and represented him.
Jesus tells us to be good stewards too. However, one might ask what are we stewards of? What do we manage that we do not own? The answer, is everything. In the beginning God created heaven and earth. Everything on Earth belongs to him, not us. This means that while we are stewards of God’s creation, we do not own any of it for ourselves. We are called by Christ to represent him as best as we can. Jesus asks us to treat what we are given how he would treat it.
This is challenging for anyone. When we work hard and earn a living, it’s difficult not to think of our earnings as our own. We think we deserve to do whatever we want with it. But this simply isn’t true. Everything we have is a gift from God. The lives we were given are gifts from God. The opportunities presented to us are gifts from God. We owe everything to our creator.
James 1:17 reads: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
But what does it mean to be a good steward? What does it look like? Does it mean giving up everything you own? Not necessarily. Being a good steward means wisely sharing what you have with others in need. It means putting others first. You take care of your family, you take care of your friends, and you take care of the stranger. It’s not rash, but it’s also not formulaic. There’s no exact science to it. Maybe you are called to give literally everything you own. Maybe you are called to consistently be there again and again for people with small needs. Maybe you’re somewhere in between. Every good Steward does things differently.
2 Corinthians 9:7 reads “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Good stewards are constantly seeking out new ways to help, with money, time, prayer, anything and everything they have. The best way to do that is to be in the church. We are directly called by Christ to actively be in the church. Not just to learn, but to be part of a community. When you are part of a church community you get so many opportunities to serve! The ultimate goal of Stewardship is to honor God, and point others towards God.
Here is another verse that speaks on what God calls us to do as good stewards:
Titus 1:7-9 reads: “For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”
No steward is perfect. God is the only perfect steward. He sacrificed everything to give all the greatest gift ever: eternal life. You can’t get more powerful than that. In all of it, remember that we do not give so that we can earn salvation, we give because he gave. God gave everything for us. He gave us salvation for free. In response we strive to live like Jesus.
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