360° STEWARDSHIP
Everything belongs to God and everything comes from God! It’s that simple. The Psalmist declared “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Apostle James indicated God is the source of everything when he declared “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
If everything belongs to God and originates from God, what do we have to worry about? We have nothing; He has everything. He’s the owner; we’re the manager, the steward of His resources. The only question is how well we will give an answer to God on the day of accounting. Will we show a profit or loss?
Stewardship is all about managing the assets or resources that belong to another. Think of a trusted company or investment firm. Customers entrust their assets to them and expect they will be managed profitably. God has done just that: He has entrusted His assets to us and He expects growth and a profit!
360° Stewardship expresses the stewardship and management of every aspect of our lives. We must exercise careful oversight of every dimension of our life in order to please God. God expects us as stewards to wisely manage the sum total of all that we are and all that we have. It is a sacred trust because God gave it to us, and His intention is that we steward it in a way that pleases Him and yields the greatest return.
While it may be a surprise to many, stewardship involves far more than just finances. Typically we associate the term stewardship with our money, and although it does include our resources, it is far more encompassing than mere finances. If everything comes from God, then He expects us to be responsible for the stewardship of our life. He speaks about these various aspects of stewardship throughout His Word. Here are seven specific areas we are instructed to steward:
1. Stewardship of our Time – Making Every Day Count
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).
2. Stewardship of our Bodies – Living Healthy Lifestyles
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:20).
3. Stewardship of our Abilities – Maximizing our Talents
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).
4. Stewardship of our Faith – Truth is a Treasure
“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Corinthians 4:1).
5. Stewardship of our Opportunities – Divine Appointments from God
“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5).
6. Stewardship of our Influence – Building Relationships
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34).
7. Stewardship of our Resources – Managing Money and Assets
“Give, and it shall be given unto you….” (Luke 6:38).
The “bottom line” question we must all answer is this: What are we doing with God’s stuff? What are we doing with God’s property? “So then every one of us shall give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). You are challenged to employ 360° stewardship in the sum total of your life, so on the day of accounting you will hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
