It’s amazing how God’s word can guide us in all issues of life. Scripture says that all we need for life and godliness is in him. In the next few paragraphs their will be an express focus on principle of biblical stewardship
Biblical Stewardship
Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 12:42 and Luke 16:1-2, reveals the basic principles of biblical stewardship. Biblical stewardship reveals that accountability and responsibility are essential to managing or owning a business. On a personal level, I believe all I own belongs to the Lord. Every successfully career or business has to be anchored on the principle of stewardship. Beyond profit or gain all business or job must be treated as a calling from God. If God has called us, we must be ready to answer to his will.
When I was in campus ministry, my wife and I managed two university ministries. There were a lot of responsibilities but through it all we maintained an attitude of stewardship. Even though we had a great level of autonomy, we still made our self’s accountable to God and our pastor. My wife and I always endeavored to go above the call of duty. Our ministry didn’t have much finance or students, but through the grace of God we were able to grow spiritually, numerically and financially within two years of our leadership. As we reflect back on this time, none of these things would have been accomplished without God’s grace and stewardship. Part of stewardship is also minimizing wastefulness. The things entrusted into our care can only operate efficiently when we minimize wastefulness (skills/talents, time, and money).
Now, Psalm 50:10-12 and Haggai 2:8 reaffirms’ the belief that God owns every that is present in nature and our environment. There is nothing that we that possess that doesn’t belong to God, even the money that we have earned (from our jobs and businesses) belong to him. The prophet Haggai writes thousands of years ago “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty” (Haggai 2:8, New International Version). Whatever money that is earned from our business ventures needs to be handled properly.
One of the areas we typically struggle to display stewardship is in the area of finances. If we don’t appropriate our businesses and jobs as part of God’s creation, it will be almost impossible to envision God as the proprietor of the money earned from our ventures.
-Seyi Ola