![]() ![]() Depending on the context, it is often translated “dispensation, stewardship, management, arrangement, administration, order, plan, or training.” It refers mostly to the law or management of a household or of household affairs. It also means "steward, manager, or administrator" and occurs more frequently in the New Testament. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.” The second word is oikonomos. In the New Testament, two Greek words embody the meaning of our English word “stewardship.” The first word is epitropos which means "manager, foreman, or steward." From the standpoint of government, it means “governor or procurator.” At times it was used in the New Testament to mean “guardian,” as in Galatians 4:1-2: “What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. Stewardship is not God taking something from us it is His method of bestowing His richest gifts upon His people. It is our divinely given opportunity to join with God in His worldwide and eternal redemptive movement (Matthew 28:19-20). In essence, stewardship defines our purpose in this world as assigned to us by God Himself. Starting with this concept, we are then able to accurately view and correctly value not only our possessions, but, more importantly, human life itself. The apostle Paul explains it best by saying, “For we are God’s fellow workers you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). God makes man His co-worker in administering all aspects of our life. It identifies God as owner and man as manager. The biblical doctrine of stewardship defines a man’s relationship to God. It is through our ability to fully grasp this and imbed it in our hearts that the doctrine of stewardship is understood. Nothing else in the Bible, including the doctrine of stewardship, will make any sense or have any true relevance if we miss the fact that God is the Creator and has full rights of ownership. As the Creator, God has absolute rights of ownership over all things, and to miss starting here is like misaligning the top button on our shirt or blouse-nothing else will ever line up. If any of these tips sounds difficult, we want to help you understand the biblical basis for each one.To discover what the Bible says about stewardship, we start with the very first verse: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Be faithful to set goals for allowing God to spend you however He wants to spend you vs. Start with high interest consumer debt, knock out one at a time, then keep going until you are completely debt free.Ħ. Be faithful by acknowledging that God owns everything so that your purpose in life does not focus on accumulation but on becoming more and more generous.ĥ. This means you should have an emergency savings account starting with $1,000 and growing that to a minimum of 90 days of your gross annual income.Ĥ. ![]() Be disciplined by consistently saving a portion of all your income. It takes financial margin to achieve our goals.ģ. ![]() By carefully spending less than you earn, you will create a surplus to be able to achieve your God-given goals and dreams. We are to “count the cost” before we start to build. Be disciplined in your spending decisions. All other financial decisions come second.Ģ. That means make giving to God’s causes your highest priority. Be faithful by honoring God with the first fruit of all your income. Here is my list of best practices for good stewards.ġ. The Bible makes it clear that the standard for good stewardship is that we are to be both faithful and disciplined. ![]()
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