Faithful Stewardship: Serving With God’s Gifts

Redefining Stewardship

Recently, my former pastor, who is also my former employer, called me and told me that an article I wrote for the bulletin years ago, is now being used on the website under “Ministries” at the church I used to work for. It is about personal stewardship. The common misconception of stewardship is that it is only about money or tithing. Stewardship is more. Stewardship is about how we manage all that God has entrusted to us. It includes time, talents, relationships and creation.

Oftentimes, the focus of stewardship is money. Yes, money is needed to accomplish many things, but so is time and talent. We are reminded of this in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (usccb.org) I talked about this in a previous column called: “Are You a Laborer for Christ?” Remember that our work and service are part of our stewardship.

The Heart of True Stewardship

The first thing we need to recognize is that everything we have belongs to God. Psalm 24:1 states this well, “The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds, the world and those who dwell in it.” (usccb.org) Stewardship is demonstrating our gratitude for all we have been given. We need to first recognize that God is the source of all blessings.

Your attitude and words aren’t as important as your actions. Being faithful in the little things is just as important as being faithful in big things. Luke 16:10 tells us, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”.(usccb.org) Stewardship is an act of worship and trust. It is not just an obligation.

Stewardship of Time, Talent and Treasure

Let’s break stewardship down into three parts; time, talent and treasure.

Time: How we spend our time reflects what we value. Time spent should include prayer, service and Sabbath rest. Develop your relationship with God. He is waiting for you. You can do that through all your actions or use of your time. How do you serve others? Remember that service can be carried out on a daily basis. It is not just joining groups in an organized way to serve, but it is also how you treat others daily.
Talents: God has blessed you with innate abilities referred to as talents. The CliftonStrengthsⓇ assessment is a great way to discover or confirm these talents. Using them for others glorifies Him as Colossians 3:23 confirms, “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others,” (usccb.org) Many times we serve others using skills that we learned to be able to financially support ourselves. These are often not our talents. We are then easily burned out.
Treasure: Yes, financial giving is part of stewardship, but so is generosity of spirit, kindness and encouragement. We are called to give and be generous while doing so. We need to care for others and trust that God will provide.

As you can see, stewardship is more complex that just tithing. God gave us all that we are and we are called to give all that we are to help build up the Body of Christ.

Serving with Purpose

Think of stewardship as living your faith in action. It involves caring for people, creation and community. We are called to align our life with purpose as God has created us. Service can be carried out in many ways. You can volunteer, mentor or simply be present for others. Be intentional in small things and you will receive bigger opportunities. Matthew 25:23 tells us, “His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (usccb.org)

Consider where your natural talents lie when considering how you will serve. Serve with joy so that those who you serve will feel it. They will see God in you. Remember that we are not called to be perfect. God will equip you to carry out what you are called to do.

Living as Faithful Stewards Today

Think about how you are living out stewardship. Ask yourself these questions:

How am I using what God has given me for good?
Where might I be holding back what belongs to Him?
How can I be more intentional with my stewardship?
How am I living daily as a good steward?

Some practical tips for stewardship are prayer, journaling and setting weekly intentions for service. Start everything with prayer. Pray at the beginning of your day, at the beginning of meetings and when you are about to take action. Pray if you feel unsure or lost. Also pray in gratitude for success, gifts and life. Journaling is a great way to center your thoughts or to figure out what path to follow. Journal as often as what works best for you. Make sure you spend time reading what you wrote and reflecting on the message contained within. You need to set your weekly intentions and review how they were carried out or if they were even carried out. Consider what changes you may need to make for the next week. These are some ideas. Consider what would work best for you.

Stewardship as a Way of Life

When you think of stewardship, see it not as a task but as a calling. Everything you do and how you live demonstrates stewardship or a lack of it. Remember Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”(usccb.org) Take a look at how you spend money. It will show you what is most important to you. Think the same way about your time and talent. Where are your priorities?

Jeremiah 1:5 reminds us that we have a purpose, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” (usccb.org) When you are living your purpose, you are living stewardship. Stewardship is about living fully awake, aligned and shining with God’s purpose.