“So look at [us] as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s secrets. Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. “
(1 Corinthians 4:1-2 )
When I was growing up, gentle reader, stewardship was defined as financial resources – or at least that is what my child’s interpretation of what I heard told me. Then later, in young adulthood, stewardship was expanded to include time and energy. This was good news for me because I did not have much financial resources to give the church. Now, reading the commentary on stewardship in the Confession I read, “The word stewardship in the New Testament is used primarily in connection with stewardship of the gospel.” It seems to me than one should spend lavishly, that is spread the news of the gospel to all who will have ears “to hear” and eyes “to see.” But that is not the only thing the Confession says on this topic; “But in the broader sense, stewardship is related to the idea of God as head of the household, in which Christians are God’s servants or managers or sons and daughters entrusted with responsibility.” This goes along well with the idea of God’s people being sons and daughters of God, and being in service to God. But the Confession also puts these words from I Corinthians in context; “First-century households acted as economic units and often included people not biologically related. Thus, the term stewardship has come to refer to our responsibility both for sharing the gospel and for managing time, material things, and money.“ Here then is the whole story. As stewards of God’s household we oversee all things: ourselves and what we bring to God; God and Christ’s story of redemption and salvation; and the teachings of Jesus who lived out a life of servanthood. A far cry from the sole responsibility of filling the offering plate each Sunday. That sounds kind of easier, come to think of it, than being responsible for so many other things.
May you gentle reader be a good steward of all that God has blessed you with, and may you use what you have been given wisely and generously. Selah!
Thanks for sharing this! I enjoyed it! I was just writing on money myself!