DEVELOPING YOUR STEWARDSHIP PHILOSOPHY
Today’s pervasive culture is constantly telling us success is having more and more. However, biblical teaching is quite the contrary. The Scriptures have much to say about God’s ownership of all things and man’s role as manager.
A life of stewardship is far more than Sunday morning’s tithe or the annual support of missionaries and ministries. Stewardship proclaims the truth that God owns everything. Looking at our finances from this perspective and recognizing we are His managers, we can begin to see that every financial decision is, in fact, a spiritual decision. Like the three servants in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30), we will each give an account for the attitudes and practices we have used to manage our earthly wealth. Are our goals and purposes self motivated or are they subject to the Master’s divine purposes?
A stewardship philosophy essentially consists of statements concerning your core beliefs, objectives and commitments with respect to money and giving. A stewardship philosophy represents a first step and generally should result in a general allocation of resources between consumption, savings and giving.
Read What God Says About Stewardship
What is Biblical Stewardship?
- Biblical stewardship is the use of God-given resources for the accomplishment of God's will on earth
- With respect to giving, it embraces the concepts of giving generously and giving wisely with an eternal perspective
- Recognition that:
- God owns everything & we are His stewards
- He entrusts us with His money.
- Every financial decision is, in fact, a spiritual one.
- We are to be content in all circumstances.
- He has commanded us to evangelize, love Him & love others, especially the poor.
- We are accountable to God.
Why do we give?
- Love - We give out of gratitude for the blessings we have received througn Christ and since God is generous toward us, exceeding our needs.
- Obedience - Our main duty is to glorify God; one way we do that is by good stewardship
- Recognition of God's ownership of everything
- To gain an eternal perspective
- Rewards - While the Bible specifically tells us we can only be saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ and not our works, God promises an inheritance or rewards in heaven to all who obey Him based on our works. We will give an account of ourselves and be judged according to our works or what we have done with our time, talent and money.
What are our barriers to giving?
- Materialism: we are under intense peer and societal pressure to increase our standard of living…build bigger houses (barns, as in the parable of the rich fool, the only man in scripture who Jesus calls “fool” to his face, Luke 12:13-21)
- Selfishness / Disobedience: we are commanded to love others as ourselves and specifically commanded to care for the poor, do we?
How much are we supposed to give?
- Tithing is an Old Testament requirement
- Even though it is an Old Testament command, would Jesus expect less of us lavished by His grace than of those under the yoke of the Law?
- New Testament teaches to give ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12)
- How much would God expect us to give to worship and glorify Him and be obedient to his commands to build His kingdom and love others as ourselves?
How do we decide how much to give?
- As stewards of God’s resources, every financial decision is, in fact, a spiritual one
- When I spend money, I am acting as God's money manager
- How would God want me to spend or invest his money?
- Realizing that we will one day give an account of our stewardship, we should be both sacrificial and wise in our giving
- When we give sacrificially, we give a little of our selfishness away and thus surrender more to Christ
- When we give wisely, we are maximizing the return on His money
What are steps toward strategic Kingdom stewardship?
- Explore ministry opportunities you are most passionate about and give intentionally of your time, talent & treasure.
- Teach your family how to sacrificially and strategically steward God’s resources together
- Be more strategic stockpiling treasure in heaven than on Earth.
- Ask yourself “Where is the greatest investment of my time and resources for maximum Kingdom impact?”
- Ask yourself “How can I steward my resources to do maximum damage to the enemy?”
What is systematic generosity?
- Many people are motivated to give spontaneously or emotionally.
- Systematic generosity consists of three levels:
- "should give" or proportional giving out of income
- "could give" or planned giving, balance sheet giving or giving out of assets
- "would give" or finish line giving
What steps can we take to increase our standard of giving?
- Start by tithing
- Think about capping your living expense and give away the excess:
- If young, minimize increases in your standard of living as your income increases
- If older, consider lowering your standard of living
- Think in terms of how God would want me to spend His money…do I need a bigger barn (house) or nicer car?
- Ask yourself, how much is enough?
- When planning your estate, ask how much will my children really need?
- How much giving can be made out of assets to reduce taxes now and eliminate estate taxes
- Give to be a tax minimizer (giving up to 50% of income is tax deductible) and a Kingdom maximizer!
Who should I give to?
- Your Church
- We are to build His kingdom through support of His mission of reaching the world for Jesus Christ (Great Commission).
- Stewardship of the Great Commandment, we tells us to love others as ourselves which, in part, requires us to give our time, talent & treasures to help others less fortunate.
- Ministries pursuing the Great Commission (evangelism) and/or the Great Commandment (love others and especially those less fortunate)
- Ask yourself, would the Lord want me to give to this?
- Ministries that are which can demonstrate their effectiveness and accountability
What is a stewardship philosophy?
- What are my core beliefs, objectives and commitments with respect to money and giving?
- Recognizing that God owns everything, what is my allocation of resources between consumption, savings and giving?
Stages of Spiritual Maturity toward Stewardship:
Where do you fall?
Type of Giver -> |
Percentage |
Purposeful |
Passionate |
Value System |
Love the world and things of the world |
Dissatisfied, searching for something more satisfying |
Love Christ with their whole heart |
Source of Significance |
Possessions, status, titles |
Searching, transitioning |
In Christ |
Life Orientation |
Self |
Others |
Christ |
Stewardship Orientation |
Mine |
Ours |
God owns everything |
Attitude for Giving |
Defensive and reluctant |
Beginning to enjoy sharing |
Joyful giver |
Motive for Giving |
Selfish / guilt driven |
Self-interest |
Worship |
Object of Faith |
Self |
Transitioning |
Christ |
Credits: the above was adapted from material supplied by Generous Giving and Kingdom Advisors.
How generous are you?
Take the Generous Giving Assessment Diagnostic
READ ABOUT STRATEGIC CHRISTIAN GIVING
Helpful Links
Sermons:
John Bryson on the Gospel of Generosity
Tim Keller on Creation, Fall, Redemption and Your Money
Rick Warren on Purpose Driven Generosity
Other resources:
Common Excuses for Not Giving (courtesy of GenerousGiving)
