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(Editor's Note: Finances [possessions] cause major problems for most of us for most of our lives. Dean Scott begins what we hope to be a series by different authors about how the Christian should deal with all assets God places in our care.)
Focus On Finances
Money!
Everyone talks about it. Most spend most of their waking hours working for it. Most of us think we don't have enough of it. Few of us are good stewards of it. Paul, the apostle, told Timothy that the love of it was the root from which all evil grows. Paul also said that one cannot serve God and money at the same time.
Money is such an important subject. How come there's not more teaching being done about it from the bible?
In recent years, several have been given a national ministry in which they teach Christians about our responsibilities with possessions. But those ministries are not all about money - but about stewardship!
Jesus said:
For it [the kingdom of heaven] is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.
Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, "Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents."
His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master."
The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, "Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents."
His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master."
And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not plant, and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours."
But his master answered and said to him, "You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not plant, and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:14-30)
No One Has Nothing!
We learn a number of things from the parable Jesus told.
- We each start out with something! Notice, there was no slave with no talents! Please be careful if you have ever thought that the Lord gave you no gifts, no assets over which to be steward. He did. If you don't know what they are, then please stop now and pray, asking the Lord to show you the gifts he has given you and ask him to show you how he wants you to use them..
- We are each expected to be good stewards of the assets the Lord has given us. A good steward returns an increase to his Lord.
- Our Lord will require each of us to account to him for how we have used what he entrusted to us.
- Those of us who do not return to him with at least an effort to gain for him more than he gave us will have everything he has taken away from him, and it will be given to others. Remember, he said, "For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away."
- And, the utter hopeless finality of the ultimate end of the "unprofitable servant" is, ". . . And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Be A Steward
When I was a child, my parents drilled into my head the principle that you take care of anything that belongs to someone else better than you do for your own things. If I ever borrowed anything from a neighbor and did not return it in at least as good condition (but better, if possible), then I had to answer to mom and dad. That's something that becomes a part of your thinking. If I borrowed a tool that was dirty or not sharp or if it was lacking in some way, before I returned it, I cleaned it up or polished it, sharpened it, or repaired any broken parts. Though I was a kid and did not realize it, that was stewardship they were teaching me.
How much less might our Lord expect of us? In the parable, the worthless slave returned to his master exactly what had been entrusted to him. It was no less and no worse than had been given him. His master suffered no loss. He just did not get the gain he was expecting.
Our Lord has trusted you with every possession you have (or think you have). We should consider that for exactly what it is - a sacred trust. Something the Lord is depending on you and me to do.
Jesus taught his followers this principle:
The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, "What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops."
Then he said, "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'"
But God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?"
This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21)
Jesus also taught:
I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:23-26)
As long as I can remember, I've heard Christian people (both rich and poor) talk and argue about whether the wealthy can really serve God acceptably. Many poor grew up not trusting the wealthy. Likewise, many who were children of wealthy families grew up not trusting the poor. Neither group knows much about the other in most cases.
But, Jesus taught a lot about wealth, riches, and our attitude toward possessions. Many people misunderstand what he said. That's because most don't take the time to read all that he said in an attempt to understand.
Attitude
The first thing we must learn about money is to have the proper attitude about it!
In the teachings of Jesus, attitude is the secret ingredient in serving God in any of our many relationships. Basically, that proper attitude is put God FIRST !
When he said, "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," he had the rich man's attitude in mind. The man of whom Jesus told who planned to tear down his barns to build larger ones had the wrong attitude. His idea was that he had worked hard to earn his riches. Now, his main objective was to keep it all for himself. He was planning to retire. The problem is that he was putting himself first, not God first.
That's one thing about riches. Many who accumulate wealth begin to do everything possible to keep it. Some get carried away with stockpiling and protecting their wealth. We call them misers.
A little bit of protection is important because God makes us stewards of all the things he places in our care. When someone accumulates some degree of wealth, it's not because of that person's own abilities, but it's because God put it in his/her care. When that happens, it's also amazing how many people are almost standing in line, trying to figure out ways to take some of it away from the one who has it. But the attitude we are to have is that it all belongs to God, and we are his stewards, taking care of "our" things for him, but only temporarily.
Jesus taught the principles of stewardship several times in different ways. A steward is one who works for another. The "master" places certain people and/or things in the care of the steward. The responsibilities of taking care of those things responsibly and causing them to grow and multiply are the steward's. But the attitude of the steward is that all those "things" belong to the master, not to the steward. They must be cared for even better than the steward would take care of his own.
Give It All . . .
All things belong to the Lord. He is the creator and maker of all things. He created the universe, then created man and placed him in charge of this world. All things are God's, not man's. Man is the caretaker.
When I can realize that and tell God honestly that I know all things are his, and thank him for the things he has placed in my stewardship, then what questions can I have about how much I'm to give for his work?
I've heard endless debates about tithing. Should I tithe? Is a tithe a tenth of my gross income or of my net income? Is a tithe a tenth of everything? Israel was required to give a tenth? Should I give a tenth plus more because I live under a better covenant than they? If I give something to help a widow or an orphan or someone else in need, should I subtract that from my regular tithe, or should I add that much to my tithe?
All these questions are academic babbling IF I recognize that all of it belongs to God in the first place, and that I am just a temporary caretaker. The question then becomes, not "How much does he expect me to give?", but "How much of what I am steward over does it take to fill the need God has shown me?"
What Is Our Concern?
When it comes to money what am I concerned about? Is it making more money? Is it having enough to pay the rent or the mortgage payment? The car payment? The credit card companies? For groceries? For sports and entertainment?
Jesus said:
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
This is the only point about our relationship to this world and its wealth. Forget them both!
God wants us to give ourselves entirely and completely to him and let him provide for us as he does for the lilies, the grass, and the birds. Do you think a bird wakes up in the morning wondering "Oh, dear! Where am I going to find food today?" Do you think the bird ever tries to stockpile a nest full of worms so he can be sure he can feed his little ones tomorrow? Isn't it wonderful that God causes worms and bugs to crawl around at just the same time the birds need them for food?
Do you think a flower ever greets the morning wondering, "What ever am I going to wear today?"
Have you seen anything else clothed so beautifully as a rose? Yet, that rose never gave the first thought about what it will wear.
If we can develop the attitude that "Nothing belongs to me. It all belongs to God, and I am just his steward," then, we are maturing in our spiritual relationship.
But, if you are not there yet, it's a hard step to take. It's hard to say, "Father, here it is! I know all of it is yours. I give it all to you. Please show me how you want me to take care of it!"
I know. I couldn't say that to God, honestly at first. So, if you have that problem, too, you might as well "come clean" with God. He knows your heart anyway. We can't lie to him! So go ahead. Tell him, "God I don't feel as though it all belongs to you. In fact, I'm not even sure that I even want to feel that way. Help me to be what you want me to be. Help me to have the attitude of a good steward."
And he will. You really can trust him!
