Being a STEWARD

Money.

It is hard to survive without it. Yet businesses, nonprofits, and people (even your own children!) constantly seem to try to get you to part with it. And sometimes, the group asking for your money is your church.

Have you ever noticed how some churches talk a LOT about money, while others never seem to broach the subject? (In Riverwood’s nearly-ten years of existence, we have definitely fallen closer to the latter.) So it is worth noting that in the four Gospels, roughly 15% of Jesus’ teaching mentions money. In other words, He doesn’t ignore the subject, yet He doesn’t overwhelmingly dwell on it either.

That’s because for Jesus, and the rest of His teaching throughout Scripture, the talk of money isn’t about how to acquire massive amounts of it, nor to get you to part with it so He can be wealthier. Rather, the teaching of Scripture elevates the discussion to the concepts of stewardship and generosity. Over and over, God tells us through the Bible that the things of this earth (money, time, clothing, etc.) are not actually ours, but His.

In Psalm 50, when talking about animal sacrifice, God tells the people of Israel…

I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.

Psalm 50:9-11 (ESV)

In other words, anything we “own” is not actually ours, rather it has been entrusted to us to use for God's glory. This is why He calls us to live lives of generosity. For He knows that...

• the generous heart is not enmeshed with the things of this world, but rather delights in the ways of God
• the generous life is filled with joy, not constant worry about how to obtain their next possession
• the generous hand is open and free to receive something better from God.

Because of these truths, we are going to take the next several weeks here on the blog to consider how to be a generous steward of what God has given. To guide our discussion, we’ll be using 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 to help us work through the acronym STEWARD. And note: While much of the teaching of this series will be able to be applied to multiple areas (time, relationships, possessions, etc.) we’ll primarily be dealing with the issue of finances. So join us next week as we start with the S, learning how a steward Sows Bountifully.