BIBLICAL STEWARDSHIP TRUTHS-PART 1
Week 2- My Testimony
I am one of those fortunate Christians whose parents began teaching me and holding me accountable at an early age about the importance and the role of Christian financial stewardship in my relationship to Christ and to other human beings. Most everything I know and do in the Christian discipline of financial stewardship can be traced to my parents’ example. The Bible was their source, and God’s Holy Spirit was their strength and guide. Over the next seven weeks I shall be sharing with you biblical truths that have made a difference in my life, and I am confident they will make a difference in your life, if you abide by them.
What does the Bible say about money and possessions?
Biblical truth #1: God owns everything. You must come to the point in your life where you can acknowledge with all your heart what the Psalmist declared in Psalm 24:1, “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it….” The prophet Haggai (2:8) also declared, “The silver and the gold is mine declares the Lord Almighty.”
Biblical truth #2: God is the source of our wealth. “But remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…” (Deut 8:18).
Biblical truth #3: We are called to be stewards. “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Cor. 4:2). The word “stewardship” comes from the Greek word “oikonomia,” which means the act of managing what belongs to another. A steward is a person in charge of the affairs of others, one who acts as a manager and one who is entrusted with the management of the material things owned by someone else. We must remember at all times God is the owner of everything, and we are stewards/trustees of whatever He has entrusted to us.
Prayer focus: Prayerfully study these verses and ask God to help you come to the realization the house you live in is not yours, it’s His; the car you drive is not yours, it’s His; that brokerage account you have is not yours, it’s His; etc. Remember, 1 Cor. 6:20, “you were bought at a price….”
Next Week: My Testimony (continued)