You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Deuteronomy 8:18

Money

The Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Money is one of the things in life that can drive a wedge between God and us. The reason for this is because it’s one of the things that we can so quickly claim ownership of when it’s not ours. The Bible is full of commands to be generous and give in abundance. It’s also full of parables about the rich finding it hard to enter the Kingdom of God.

If you want to live in God’s blessing and genuinely flourish, you have to address your mindset on money. You can either be crippled by bitterness, jealousy, and greed; or thrive in gratitude, joy, and generosity. The single hinge on which side you fall is who you think the money belongs to. The biggest argument around this that I hear is the one that says, “I’ve worked to earn my paycheck. I’ve worked to keep the savings I have. I’ve worked to earn my money…I deserve it.” I can speak from experience that this mindset makes you less selfless, less joyful, less grateful, less kind, and less likely to flourish.

In Deuteronomy 8:17-18, this mindset is completely blown out of the water: “You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”

You see, when you release ownership back to God, you become so grateful that He would give you money to help others or to live somewhere or to enjoy a meal out. It breaks the heavy weight that money can have on us and gives us freedom instead. It becomes something that helps humanity flourish, and there we find God’s blessing.

The plan for our lives becomes about His Kingdom, not how much money we can get. We seek His Kingdom and righteousness first, stewarding the money He’s given to us. When we do that, all that we need is then provided.

And we can trust that He will provide because His plan was to create us, bless us, and invite us to flourish. All His commands are given that we might remain in His plan and, therefore, His blessing. By now we know what God’s plan was and is for us. We can trust Him. If we can trust Him, we can rest assured that all His commands are given to keep us in His perfect plan and, therefore, His blessing.

“A lack of generosity refuses to acknowledge that your assets are not really yours, but God’s.”

tIM kELLER

As Christians, we need to fully understand this broader view of stewardship that goes beyond just handling with one’s finances; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world. There are principles in which we must reflect ourselves on our role as stewards. We need to understand that the Lord doesn’t only want us to handle our money and possessions well, but to handle all aspects of our lives. To be faithful stewards, we are called to glorify him, serve the common good, and further His Kingdom. As you begin understanding the concept of stewardship, what is your response? Let’s challenge ourselves to…

1. Believe God OWNS it all

2. Understand the RESPONSBILITIES He has given us.

3. Remain ACCOUNTABLE for how we steward what He provides.

4. Remember our REWARD & treasure is found in having an eternal perspective.

My greatest fear in life is standing before the Lord and hearing Him say, ‘I had so much more for you, but you held on too tightly.’

Larry Burkett