Double Minded Financial Stewardship

North American Christians have seemingly restricted the concept of stewardship to the financial management aspects of their lives. Unfortunately, this limited view of what stewardship represents hampers their ability to be effective Christian stewards of all that the Lord has blessed them with. Though I believe that stewardship is more broad-based than just personal finances I do want to talk about, what I see, as the two masters of financial stewardship.

These two masters consist of The World and The Word. Both cover managing cash flow, debt, investments and giving. Their similarity is probably one of the reasons why many Christians have difficulty distinguishing between what it means to be a good secular steward and what it means to be a good Christian steward. A good secular steward, governed by the World, manages their cash flow, their debts, and their investments in a way that will glorify themselves. After all, it is theirs to do with as they please. A good Christian steward, governed by the Word, manages cash flow, debts and investments in a way that will maximize their glorification of God. They realize that their wealth and their ability to obtain it was provided by Him and is to be used to glorify Him, not themselves [Duet 8:17 Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, ….]

Unfortunately, most Christians try to have it both ways planting their feet partially in the World and partially in the Word. This occurs primarily because the Word insists that a good Christian steward act in ways that are counterintuitive to what the World and their flesh are screaming out for them to do. Given the fallen nature of man, it is perfectly natural, for one to want to act according to the flesh and satisfy self. In his excellent book, The Knowledge of the Holy, AW Tozer states, "Yet so subtle is self that scarcely anyone is conscious of its presence. Because man is born a rebel, he is unaware that he is one. His constant assertion of self, as far as he thinks of it at all, appears to him a perfectly normal thing." However, this hybrid form of stewardship is totally incompatible with the Word. (Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”) The Worldly portion of this hybrid model acts as leaven and ultimately pollutes the entire plan. (1 Co 5:6 Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (ESV))

In order to be a good Christian steward you must take the proper perspective into your plan and not developed it from your plan - first things first:

· Settle the matter of ownership - it's Gods, not ours.

· Clarify purpose - glorify God, not self.

· Manage desires - John 2:16 For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

· Let go - Oswald Chambers expressed it best when he stated:

"I can never sanctify to God that with which I long to satisfy myself. If I am going to satisfy myself with the blessings of God, they will corrupt me; I have to sacrifice them, poor them out, do with them what any common-sense man would say is an absurd waste." [My Utmost Devotional Bible]

· Move forward. Matt 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?