My friend Rob Kuban at Dollars and Doctrine has recently released a four lesson Sunday school series called Redefining Riches. I’ve had the chance to review it and I can tell you it’s an excellent introductory course to the core principles of a Biblical approach to finances. If you’re looking for something related to finances to do in your Sunday school class or small group, I highly recommend this as a starting place. (I’m not getting paid to say this, and I don’t earn anything if you buy it. I just believe Rob’s put together a great resource with a heart for helping people understand Biblical truths about God’s desires for our finances.) It’s only $3.99 for all four lessons, which includes PowerPoint slides, leader’s guides, and handouts. You can print as many copies as you need for your group, so it’s a great deal.
Today’s post is from the content in the lesson on stewardship, which I’ve reprinted with Rob’s permission. I’m not devaluing Rob’s work because the value of buying Redefining Riches is in having the lessons already prepared for you along with the PowerPoint slides. You’ll get a good idea of the content by reading the excerpts I’ll share, but you’re still missing out on some additional content Rob includes as well as the leader’s guides and handouts.
Stewardship: A Work of Faith
Stewardship is respectful of God as Creator and King.
“For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You…O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided to build You a house for Your holy name, it is from Your hand, and all is Yours.” (1 Chronicles 29:14,16)
When we properly understand God’s ownership of all of His creation, we will view ourselves as managers of the resources with which God has entrusted us. Like the parable of the talents, we will seek to utilize our resources according to our master’s desire. The way we handle our money matters. The volume of scripture regarding money and possessions is profound. When we consider how often the Law, the prophets, Christ and the apostles spoke of such things, we can no longer view the way we handle our money as insignificant. (See Also: Psalm 24:1, Psalm 89:11, Deuteronomy 10:14, Romans 11:36, John 3:27, Matthew 25:14-30)
Stewardship is revealing of our heart’s true treasure.
“The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.” (Matthew 12:35)
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
The way we handle and acquire money reveals a lot about our character and priorities. Are we generous, honest, selfish, content, humble or greedy? How we obtain our money and where it ends up reveals a lot about what we value. Christ constantly spoke of the impact our internal conditions have on our external acts. The use of money is a perfect example of this principle. (See Also: Proverbs 15:6, Luke 16:10)
Stewardship is rewarding when done Biblically and wisely.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” (Matthew 6:19-20)
We will give an account for how we have managed and invested such a powerful asset. Are we investing in the kingdom or ourselves? The Bible clearly relates that heavenly reward awaits those who choose to invest in the kingdom of God. We must recognize that money has huge amounts of “potential energy” and we will be accountable for how we utilized and where we invested what God has entrusted to us. (See Also: Luke 12:33-34, Luke 14:12-14, Matthew 19:21, Hebrews 11:6)
If you enjoyed this, you might like:
- How Much Should You Be Saving/Spending?
- What Is God's Provident Plan for a Christian's Personal Finances?
- Personal Finance Bible Study: Work (Summary)
- Personal Finance Bible Study: Work (Part 15 of 15) - Don't Use the Church for Business
- Personal Finance Bible Study: Work (Part 14 of 15) - Be a Good Steward
Hi Paul,
Great summary of the Redefining Riches section on stewardship. I hadn’t heard about that series until I read this blog – and I’m looking forward to learning more about it.
I like what you said about ‘acquiring money’ and ‘where it ends up.’ You can’t talk about stewardship without addressing a person’s character and their values. Stewardship means nothing unless your heart is right.
Keep it up!
Tim
Thanks for commenting, Tim! I should point out that this isn’t my summary. It’s an actual excerpt from the materials. There’s a good bit more to it all but this is the meat of it.