Torch, Summer 1985

W hen the pastor announces a sermon on stewardship, how often do we react defensively: "Just another attempt to get more money from us for the church"? But the Bible presents stewardship as a much broader issue than financial generosity. Giving money to the Lord's work is part of stewardship because of its place in the sequence of recognizing Christ's lordship over all of life . He is Lord by creation and redemption of all that we are. Giving from the results of exercising our talents is a part of acknowledging the source and end of those talents , and of offering the talents back to God. Stewardship then begins not with money, but with the life and gifts we have from God. STEWARDSHIP AND OWNERSHIP This principal issue in stewardship is the relationship between the steward and the owner. A steward is one who manages the assets of another. In fact, the New Testament word for steward pictures a "house manager," for the steward managed the household affairs of the master of the house. Several Biblical examples illustrate the role of the steward . Joseph was entrusted with the management of Potiphar's household, as was Eliezer of Abram's (Genesis 39:15). Christ's words contrasting faithful and unfaithful stewards emphasize that the ownership of resources is retained by the master, regardless of the degree of trust or length of stewardship (Luke 12, 16, Matthew 25). The steward, for all his effort and faithfulness , could be granted high honor , but the assets he managed were yet the property of the master unless he specifically transferred ownership to the steward. Because our gifts and talents are so much a part of who we are, we may easily begin to think of them as our own. Even the word "gift" implies a transfer of ownership, an unfortunate implication in this case. While they may be ours, we are not our own ( l Corin– thians 6: 19-20). Since all we are belongs to Him , all we have belongs to us in a secondary sense only. To acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ over all of life requires our recognition of His lordship over the individual aspects of life. Whether gifts , talents , interests, limitations, personality traits , aspirations , or experiences - all our individual characteristics are what we devote to God when we call Him Lord. How then do we acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ over our gifts? We must know what gifts God has given to us and how we can best use them for .His glory. WHAT DO I HAVE FROM GOD? We cannot be good stewards until we know what has been entrusted to us. Recognizing that we have gifts is not pride; rather, it is the first step to service. The steward cannot manage what he doesn ' t know exists. A personal inventory could easily include such factors as vocational abilities, personal and interpersonal skills, interests , and desires. These are entrusted by God to each person for effective living within society. The spiritually sensitive believer recognizes that he is totally dependent upon God for his talents, together with his inclinations, opportunities, and energy to use them . Likewise, spiritual gifts (special talents for service within the Body of Christ) are distributed by the Lord to believers (I Corinthians 12) . Each believer has at least one of these God-assigned gifts, and their distribution within the Body prompts cooperation, inter– dependence, and mutual respect. Jesus encouraged us to extend our concept of stewardship beyond those factors easily recognized. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16: 10). His contrast in the verses which follow was between the minor matters of finances (the least) with the major issues of spiritual riches (the much). All of us have gifts which we have yet to recognize as such, for we have labelled them minor matters. Perhaps we consider them trivial because they involve tasks which are easy for us to accomplish or things we like to do . Of course, the same tasks may be quite difficult for others, and the ease with which we do them is itself a testimony to the presence of a special gift. A homemaker , for instance, may feel she does nothing special and that her routine tasks could be performed by anyone. In fact, however, many who struggle with homemaking may view with astonishment what she takes for granted. A minor matter? The apostle Paul's discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 warns us neither to diminish the importance of gifts that are less public nor to inflate the val ue of those more public. Within a church ministry, the gifts of those involved in music, proclamation, and teaching may be noticed readily. But of equal value are gifts operating behind the scenes such as financial management, faithful prayer, property maintenance, and private giving. The ability to offer a genuinely warm smile and a word of encouragement may be used to transform a life. A grandparent's reminiscing may demonstrate a gift of storytelling which effectively transmits spiritual values and builds character. Minor matters? HOW CAN WE USE OUR GIFTS FOR GOD'S GLORY? God is glorified when we recognize a gift and receive it with thanksgiving. Too often, perhaps through a sincere but misguided attempt to be humble, we fail to assert ourselves where we think we have gifts. We may , consequently, never realize the full potential of our gifts, nor give thanks for what God has entrusted to us. The apostle Paul's instructions regarding spiritual gifts (Romans 12:6-8) clearly involve acknowledging and using our gifts as contributing members of the Body of Christ. Denial of what God has built into our lives is not humility , but rebellion. Jesus taught, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household ... ? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord continued on page 14 s