I believe that when God endows me with various gifts and opportunities, He watches very carefully how I manage all of them. Even here, the Lord draws a clear line between what is mine and has been given for my benefit, and what belongs to Him. I am expected to have a clear understanding of these distinctions and to be faithful in managing everything under my authority. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of Eden was an example of this.
In endowing me with the gift of love, God expects me to empty the Heavenly storehouses daily and allow this water of life to flow through my heart, becoming a blessing to others. And, of course, the Lord desires that a portion of this same love return to Him in the form of our special relationship, thanksgiving, offerings, and blessings.
Jesus desires to see in us channels through which living water flows and, after accomplishing its work, returns to the Lord in the form of good fruit, praise, and thanksgiving; in the form of new souls who desire to live eternally with their Savior; and in the form of generous offerings. Then we will be able to say with joy, ‘All things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee!’
The Lord desires our service to come from a pure heart and to bring us happiness. Worshiping God merely from a sense of duty or from fear of punishment or error is not a proper approach, and it does not glorify the Creator. Such an understanding implies obligations, but heartfelt relationships are absent from it. Love languishes in the prison of my limited consciousness and longs for freedom so that I may exercise my stewardship out of love.
But I also need to understand what has been entrusted to my stewardship, what I possess, and what is under my authority.
First and foremost, there is myself. Although I am the creation of a wise Designer, I have nevertheless been placed under my own stewardship. Caring for my body, soul, and spirit is my responsibility throughout my earthly life, in order to determine whether eternal values can be entrusted to me. I am expected to study the laws governing my life and to act in accordance with God’s requirements and expectations. The Lord has taken upon Himself the greater part and burden of my body’s functioning, ensuring that all my organs perform their functions normally, regardless of my understanding. I have been given the authority to supply this organism with everything beneficial and to care tenderly for my body and soul in the spirit of love for myself, following Jesus’ example and the instructions for its proper use.
The second thing entrusted to me is my abilities and talents. Each of us is unique, gifted, talented, and one of a kind. And when all these qualities are blended with God’s love, they make a magnificent medley that delights Heaven and is a blessing to the Church and the world.
God expects all my abilities to benefit me personally as well as His cause, and that through them I will be able to reflect God’s character.
The third is my time. Most interestingly, this gift is sent daily to each of us in equal measure. No one can boast of having more time than another person, yet for some reason many people say they have none. But it exists and is entrusted equally to all of us. We have even been given a commandment concerning our time, in which God Himself states very clearly that the time of the Sabbath day must be devoted to the Lord God. The Lord also gives counsel concerning what should not be done on that day. And Jesus clarified that good deeds should also be done on the Sabbath.
God watches with special attention how I manage my time, how I live during the time that belongs to God, and what I do on the other days. Although all things are lawful for me, not all things are beneficial. Love is offered to assist me in my stewardship so that I do not make fatal mistakes. It gives the right motive to all my deeds and places the seal of Heaven’s approval not only upon my actions and rest, but also upon my mind. My time, clothed in love, serves as a blessing to the world and the Church. And I am regarded as a faithful steward.
The fourth thing entrusted to me is property and material possessions. I may call everything under my authority and at my disposal my own in order to define the boundaries of my stewardship, but in reality only that which I can take with me to the grave is mine.
Money is a resource in God’s administration that has been entrusted to me in order to test my faithfulness, determine my wisdom, reveal my selflessness, and expose my attachments and sins.
So that I would not forget Who the true Owner of every material advantage and blessing is, God set apart a special portion of these blessings for Himself and called it the tithe. It is like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of Eden, which was not hidden in a corner but stood in the most visible place, yet did not belong to me. It is holy and should not be touched. It is not mine, but God’s, although it passes through my hands. God warns what awaits those who encroach upon His property, while also describing the blessings prepared for those who are willing to prove Him in this matter. Nowhere else does God give a human being the right to test Him. He is the Creator! But in the matter of the tithe, the Lord Himself invites us to prove His power. Will I respond to this invitation?
But after I have given a tenth of my income, nine-tenths remain. I may decide that this is mine and that I have the right to spend these funds as I wish. And I do have such authority, because God has entrusted this property to me. But He did so in order that I would manage it and remember that I am not the owner of material blessings.
Love in the management of resources gives me the right motive. I regard material means as a temporary advantage of my earthly life and understand that I should not set my heart upon them. Love views all my material possessions as opportunities to make my life more interesting by dedicating all of them to the service of God and people. In love I receive Heavenly wisdom not to regard what I possess as my own, but to view it more simply and to exercise sound judgment in charity. Not every good deed is necessarily beneficial to others. If, for example, I give money to a person addicted to alcohol, he will use it not for the good of his soul but for evil, and I will be accountable for having managed God’s property unwisely.
Genesis 1:1 tells us very clearly Who is the Owner of everything, including us.
An understanding of proper stewardship lies at the foundation of my faith and brings happiness to my soul when I am in harmony with God and see His approval upon every wise decision I make. Love also protects me in this world from the evil of the love of money and greed. I am rich not because of what I have, but because of how I manage what has been entrusted to me. At any moment my life may come to an end, and the demand will be made of me: ‘Give Me an account of thy stewardship!’ And I will be weighed in the balances. What will they reveal then? I hope that God’s love and my relationship with Jesus will add weight to my body, while everything else will be found very light and cast away like salt that has lost its savor.
Heaven also expects me to care tenderly for the Earth that has been entrusted to my stewardship within the sphere of my activity, so that I do not destroy it but care for it with love.
Questions for Reflection
Please read Genesis 1:26–28; 2:15; 1 Chronicles 29:14; Haggai 1:3–11; Malachi 3:8–12; Matthew 23:23; Romans 15:26–27; 1 Corinthians 9:9–14; 2 Corinthians 8:1–15; and 9:7 in the light of this chapter. What did you understand and learn that was new from this chapter? Are you God’s steward? What does the Lord expect from those to whom He entrusts His gifts and opportunities? What in this world is mine and rightfully belongs to me as its lawful owner? Is love among the gifts entrusted to my stewardship? How do you envision God’s balances, and what is weighed upon them? Are my good deeds taken into account in Heaven? If not, why must they be done? If they are, can I bring them with me to the judgment? Is it easy to be a steward of God’s property? To whom should the tithe be given? Why should it not be spent on one’s own needs? What happens to those who keep the tithe for themselves or spend it at their own discretion? Does God’s trust awaken trust in return within you? What does the Lord desire to entrust to you through this book? Do you enjoy taking responsibility for managing the blessings of Heaven?