Stewardship

My small group leader brought up an interesting point a couple months back. Say you make 100,000 dollars. You buy a 35,000 dollar car and we think everything is fine. You can afford it. Say you make 30,000 dollars and you buy a 35,000 dollar car. We call that bad stewardship. What's the matter with you? Why would you buy a car that expensive?

What's really the difference between the two scenarios? Just that the guy who makes 100k can afford the car, so that makes it "okay" stewardship for him to buy it? We would tell the guy who made 30k, "What's the matter with you? Why would you do that?" Of course the decision doesn't affect the guy with 100k as negatively, but is this a good use of our money for God's purposes?

Don't say, " but there's nothing wrong with having nice things". That's one of the worst cliches hanging around in Christian circles. It's true. Don't get me wrong, it's true. But don't hide behind that sentence and use it as an excuse. How often do you say that and how often do you give God more than a 10% tithe, if that much? Don't we say that everything we have is actually God's? From our money to our spouse to our house to the food on our table to the clothes on our backs to the friends around us? Everything, every blessing is from him.

Matthew 25:14-30

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

This means that all we have is his originally, and we are merely stewards of the riches he has entrusted to us. Would you be a good steward of using these riches he gave you very extravagantly for your own pleasure? But it's only 35,000. Read that again. 35,000? Imagine the good that can be put to work for God's kingdom with 35,000. Do you need that new Lexus?

Being a good steward doesn't mean being stingy in general. So often, God calls us to give up EVERYTHING for him.

Luke 18:21-25
And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

Luke 21:1-4
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."

So how does being a good steward and giving EVERYTHING up for him coincide? You are only a good steward if you give up everything for your Lord. It's not yours. You'd be a bad steward to use your master's money as your own.

Are we trying to control our giving so we can spend more on ourselves? Or are we trying to control our spending on ourselves so we can give more generously to the church, to others, and to God's purposes.

I need to come to grips with this when I make real money.