ARE YOU A KINGDOM STEWARD?

 

Wise stewardship ushers in the capacity for enjoyment, rest and freedom. Here are the second and third core principles that help us understand the Bible’s teachings on the wise management of money:

Planning: Kingdom stewardship means being real about the condition of your assets.

Proverbs 27:23 gives great wisdom: “Know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds.” This one verse establishes a basic kingdom stewardship principle for all of us: Pay attention to how well you’re doing. Do the hard work of assessment, learning and application as it relates to whatever ventures you take part in. You must have a plan—and to have a plan, you must clearly comprehend your assets and strategies for growth.

Since God believes in planning, we should believe in planning. The Creator planned things out before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). Yet too many believers go to Him without doing the diligence of planning. We tend to dodge the reality that God works in concert and in cadence with plans. We regularly witness Him in Scripture responding to a plan, tweaking a plan or creating a plan.

Every family should be living according to a budget. This gives you the framework to remove debt and free up spending for all your needs as well as greater giving to God’s kingdom. A budget enables you to live within your means. “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty” (Proverbs 21:5).

Don’t operate with the mindset of luck or undefined hope. God has given everyone a mind in order to plan. And it may be that it’s a wise friend or godly financial planner who helps in this area, especially when it comes to setting long-term goals. “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22).

Prioritizing: A kingdom steward values needs over wants.

Wise kingdom stewards prioritize financial freedom. One of the ways you do this is through discerning between wants and needs. Having a car is a need in most places in today’s culture, while that souped-up sports car is probably a want. So begin identifying any wants that you have falsely treated as needs. Once you do, you can begin to redirect your resources toward better uses such as the removal of excess debt and investment toward future needs.

A father whose son had just started to play sports came to him and said that he “needed” a new pair of Air Jordans. At the time, Air Jordans were some of the most overpriced sports shoes available. The father explained to his son that he had confused needs with wants. He wanted a new pair of Air Jordans because they were a status symbol but what he needed was a pair of tennis shoes. So the father said he’d pay for the shoes his son needed but he’d have to work to pay the difference for things that were wants.

                                                                                                                         The Board of Stewardship