I originally started this post back at the end of 2021 and the intro is from that time frame. I’m not sure why it took me so long to come back to the draft and actually finish it, but here it is now.
Stewardship is a concept that’s been on my mind a lot lately and that I’ve referenced frequently in my blog posts, in discussions with friends, etc. It’s been on my mind in much the same way that Matthew 6:33 was on my mind toward the end of 2019, and I’m thinking I may adopt “steward” as my word for the coming year in the same way that I adopted Matthew 6:33 as my theme verse for 2020 (and into 2021).
Anyway, this concept of stewardship. What is stewardship? What does it mean? What does it look like? In what areas of life should it be applied?
Let’s take a look.
What is Stewardship?
To steward something, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is to
1. (of an official) supervise arrangements or keep order at (a large public event)
2. manage or look after (another’s property)
A steward, if you want to look at the noun, is defined thusly:
1. a person who looks after the passengers on a ship, aircraft, or train and brings them meals
2. a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other institution
3. an official appointed to supervise arrangements or keep order at a large public event
5. a person employed to manage another’s property, especially a large house or estate
- a person whose responsibility it is to take care of something
I know I included almost all of the available definitions, but I wanted to give you a full concept of what this word means.
A steward is someone who manages, looks after, is responsible for, supervises, takes care of… whatever they have been entrusted with. Sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s arrangements, sometimes it’s a property.
So, then, stewardship is the act of managing, looking after, being responsible for, supervising, taking care of… whatever we have been entrusted with.
Everything we have, God has given, which makes us stewards of everything we have. It is our responsibility to care for and manage what has been given to us, and this is true in every sphere.
Stewardship of Time
One of the most fundamental and most under-valued resources we’ve been given is time. Time is the resource with which we’re able to steward everything else. Managing our time responsibly is the first step to managing everything else responsibly.
Psalm 90 expresses this very concept. This is a prayer of Moses, and in it he expresses the power of God’s wrath and the shortness of man’s lifespan. He expresses God’s knowledge of our sins, and how important the fear of the Lord is. In verse 12 he wraps up this section with,
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
He then follows this with a closing section pleading that God would “satisfy…with [His] mercy,” have compassion on His people, and make them glad in Him.
We’ve only been given so much time and, like Moses notes in Psalm 90 and Solomon acknowledges through the entirety of Ecclesiastes, that time is only worthwhile and only bears reward if it is spent to the glory of God and in loving service to Him.
It’s so easy to waste time on fruitless endeavors, or on mindless TV shows, or scrolling through social media without a purpose. But that isn’t a responsible management of the resource we’ve been entrusted with.
We should be aiming to spend our time wisely, studying God’s word, building relationships, diligently pursuing the work He’s given us, intentionally learning and growing, and taking time for godly rest.
Stewardship of Money
God has blessed us with money that can be used to further His kingdom, to support our work to His glory and honor, and to bless those around us. Like the servants with the talents in Matthew 25, He’s given differing amounts to each of us, but whether we have an abundance of earthly wealth or we’re struggling to get by, we have the same responsibility to steward our funds wisely.
We ought to be giving, first of all, to God and His kingdom. Whether it’s a tithe of ten percent, the two mites that are your whole livelihood, or whatever generous amount you feel led to give, giving the best to God ought to be top priority.
Different people will likely have different convictions about what qualifies as a gift to the Church. A lot of people will likely tell you that only giving to your local church counts; others might count Christian charities as well; others might count gifts to mission work. Personally, I include “direct” donations to Christian artists (e.g. through Patreon), as well because I see using art to shape the culture as a valid and important Kingdom mission.
The point, though, is not where or how you give to the Church, but where your heart is. Are you resolved to give the firstfruits of your income to the Kingdom? Are you resolved to be generous? Do you give extra when you feel led? Or do you tithe as an afterthought and give little either out of greed or simple irresponsibility or lack of awareness?
Beyond giving to the Church, though, are you spending your money wisely? Are you aware of your spending? Are you saving for the long-term, as well? Are you spending your money on things that are important and will enable you to better serve God, or do you find yourself often buying things you don’t need and won’t use?
I’m not here to say you should never buy something just because you like it or that you can never make an impulse purchase. Aesthetic and joy have value, and it’s not going to ruin your finances if you splurge on something every once in a while.
The question here is about the trend of your finances and whether or not you’re establishing a pattern of wise and faithful stewardship. (And I’ll be honest, financial stewardship is not my strong suit, so I totally understand if you struggle with this one.)
Additionally, we should be good stewards in the way that we make money. I’ll get into this more in the section about stewarding our work, but one point I want to touch on here is that we should be working to make money with integrity–and not out of a desire to accumulate wealth for ourselves, but as a means of serving God and others. Focusing over-much on how much income we have and trying to build that up solely for the increase of our material wealth is not stewarding our wealth or our work (or time, or relationships) wisely. When we seek to increase our means, it should be as wise stewards investing our talents in that which will gain interest for our Master or as the Proverbs 31 woman investing in that which will strengthen her household, not as lovers of money.
Stewardship of Other Material Resources
You have resources beyond money. You have books, you likely have access to TV shows and movies, you have furniture, dishes, appliances, electronics, maybe cars, your whole house…
These things, too, must be stewarded. Are you maintaining the cleanliness of your house to the best of your ability? Are you taking the best care of your car that you can? Are you choosing media that edify and encourage and teach rather than media that is simply consumed? Are you careful with your belongings?
As Adam was instructed to “tend and keep” the garden of Eden, so we ought to reflect the call to “subdue” the earth with care for God’s design in the way we care for those physical things that have been entrusted to our care.
We ought to treat the things we own and the spaces that we live in with care, as if they were God’s–because, ultimately, they are. All things are under His authority and His ownership.
Stewardship of Our Minds and Bodies
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” – Rom. 12:1-2
Our selves belong to God as much as any of the other resources He’s given us. Without His life, we are but dust; we owe our life and breath to Him, and our bodies with that. Paul says “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever… therefore… present your bodies,” etc. (Rom. 11:36-12:1) Our bodies are His, and we are called to steward them as such to present them back to Him–along with our minds, likewise, in verse 2.
But what does it look like to steward our minds and bodies according to God’s design?
While this question could be applied to many individual scenarios, the general principle is that we should (as much as is within our power) be strong and spotless, putting our best foot forward–as in the context of God’s criteria for sacrifices–and that we are to be transformed according to God’s word rather than conformed to the world around us, proving the will of God in how we think and act.
But here are some practical examples. As we steward our bodies, we should be making sure we exercise–moving our bodies in the ways they were designed to move, strengthening our muscles (and organs like our lungs and heart), preparing ourselves for the work we’ve been called to. We should care about what we eat, and whether it’s strengthening or weakening the systems within our bodies. We should be getting fresh air and sunshine, interacting with the world God created, using our eyes to look at things both further away and more real than our phone or computer screens. We should care about the way we dress, the way we cover and adorn our bodies, and whether it’s modest (not only according to how much it covers, but according to the attitude it displays to those around us) and respectful of the bodies God gave us (again, not only insofar as coverage is concerned; I don’t think God meant for us to wear potato sacks any more than he meant for us to put keyholes in the chests of our shirts; there are two ditches, and both are problematic).
As we steward our minds, we should take care what we put into them. We should be primarily focusing on “whatever things are true, noble, just,” etc. We should be studying our Bibles, hiding God’s word in our hearts and practicing its application to our lives. We should be well-read, using our minds to understand and engage with the world around us, but holding fast to biblical truth in the way in which we do so (being transformed by the Word, not conformed to the world). We should be practicing the instruction to “test all things; hold fast to what is good” (1 Thes. 5:21).
Our minds and bodies should be dedicated to God’s service with intention, and we should view this as the deeply-reaching thing that it is.
Stewardship of Work
“Wait, how can we have stewardship of work? Isn’t stewardship the work?”
Well, yes and no. On the one hand, all work requires stewardship of all of the resources within its sphere. And stewardship requires effort (work) in and of itself. So, sort of yes. But stewardship is broader than work, and can apply to work specifically.
I don’t know if that explanation made sense, so hopefully my exploration of what stewardship of work entails will make things clearer.
God has given you particular work that is unique to you, to where He’s placed you, to the skills and gifts He’s given you, and to the relationships He’s given you.
For the sake of this point, I’m going to define work as any sort of “official” vocation (author, stay-at-home mom, CEO, mechanic, etc.) and exclude things like hobbies and small-scale pursuits (even though in many cases I would consider those to qualify as work).
Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, an entrepreneurial author, a CEO of a company, or anything in between there is a godly way and an ungodly way to do your job.
Godly stewardship, when it comes to work, means showing up, putting in the fullest effort, going above and beyond, fulfilling your tasks to the best of your ability, operating with grace and encouragement toward those you work with, etc.
Now, I don’t mean that you should work yourself into the ground. That’s veering off into the other ditch. Rest is a healthy and biblical part of the work pattern. And there are times when you just can’t do as much, and you might even have to take steps back and do the minimum until you’ve recovered the energy to do the best work you can.
But doing the minimum to get by when you can do more is not godly stewardship of your work. Bailing as soon as work ends just because you’re bored or it’s difficult is not godly stewardship of your work. Skating by with as little interaction as possible with those around you is not godly stewardship of your work.
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward f the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” – Col. 3:23-24
Stewardship of Relationships
This one is potentially… not the hardest on this list, but the least simple.
Faithful, godly stewardship of your relationships means putting others first and seeking out ways to use your relationship for their edification. (Okay, maybe it is fairly simple, conceptually.)
To steward relationships faithfully means investing in those around you. It means using the resources you’ve been given to further their growth and edification and to encourage them.
Are you seeking to give in your relationships? If you know people who have blessed you greatly, do you seek to bless them as much (or more) in return? Do you seek to encourage your co-workers and work in friendly collaboration with them, or are they just people you see every day and exchange small talk with? Do you see your clients or customers as individuals and seek to understand their unique struggles and fill their needs, or have you painted a generalized picture and allowed yourself to start seeing them as just another buyer?
And what about your relationship with God Himself? Are you spending time in His word, getting to know His character better? Are you praying routinely, sharing your thoughts and anxieties and gratitude and desires with Him? Are you applying lessons learned from Scripture or answers to prayer?
Selfishness is at the heart of our sin nature, which makes it a hard habit to break, but relationships are arguably the most important area of your life to steward faithfully. When Jesus named the two greatest commandments they were to love the God and to love your neighbor as yourself, and 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that nothing else we do is of worth if it’s done without love.
If we’re neglecting our relationships or operating out of selfishness when we build them, we’re missing the point.
Our task as stewards is a vast and weighty responsibility. All things belong to God, and yet we have been entrusted to be sub-rulers, called to have dominion over the earth and subdue it on God’s behalf and alongside Him. The call to biblical stewardship reaches to all corners of our lives, which can be a little overwhelming! But God promises to be with us, to be our strength when we are weak, and He promises His grace to those who are His. Strive to be holy as He is holy, but take heart in the fact that you are not so mighty as to ruin His work. Lean on Him in humility as you strive to steward what He has set before you, and rejoice in the great work He is undertaking through His people.
Within the Static 