What do you think of when you hear the word, steward?

There are many misconceptions of what stewardship means – fundraising campaigns at church, recycling, and getting out of debt are common examples.

But none of these fully encompass what stewardship really means.

Stewardship is not ordering your finances in a way that you can spend whatever you want. It’s ordering your life in such a way that God can spend you however He wants. 

Jesus did not die on the cross so we could live a life in pursuit of health, wealth, entertainment, and vanity. He died on the cross to stake His claim as owner of our lives. You and I were bought with a price – and we are called to build the Kingdom of God, not our own.

The best way to start thinking like a steward is to recognize that you are not the owner of anything. God owns it all and has entrusted resources, time, talent, and people to you for you to manage. As His manager, your role is to be faithful to His purposes. Regardless if you have a lot or a little, you must seek to allow God to have total control over your financial choices.

Galatians 2:20 reminds us of this, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Our ambition and life pursuit should be to become rich towards God, not in the eyes of men. Then you can one day hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matthew 25:21)

As you embark on your journey to faithful stewardship, ask yourself these questions:

1. Why is the thought of being a manager and not an owner so contrary to the messages we hear in our society?
2. Why is it difficult to think of having a “master”?
3. If someone were to ask me what my purpose for living is, how would I respond?
4. Do I want to be rich towards God or man? Why?
5. How do I need to order my life, time, money, and priorities differently in order for God to spend me more fully?

If you want to learn more about what faithful stewardship really means, enroll in the online MoneyLife Personal Finance Study. It’s a seven-week course that will help you overcome financial challenges to gain a life of meaning and purpose.