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“Godly Stewardship Produces Growth”
God has called us to be kings (rulers) and priests (intercessors), and anything that destroys or blunts either possibility is not from God. Without the responsible stewardship of private property, the ability for self-rule and productivity is lost. This is the practical effect of socialism—it destroys man’s rulership capacities and personal initiative. God helps us grow up by giving us responsibility which begins with exercising authority over someone, some talent, or task. Without this, we would put very little truth into practice. The measure of my maturity is directly related to how I care for what God has entrusted to me.
God has placed us in His earthly workshop to help us grow and to extend His Kingdom. The obstacles within us and outside us form the “barbells” we must pump to grow our spiritual muscles. Responsibility is the training routine of the Lord Jesus and all the franchise’s junior partners who follow Him.
God has given each of us at least five assets for which we will have to answer to Christ:
- Our physical bodies
- Our conscience
- Our relationships with others
- Our talents
- Our possessions
These items are on loan from God, and we are to follow God’s Word in their stewardship and bring them back to Him with increase. Growth is directly related to responsibility, so if you have nothing under your care, it is difficult to grow up! Let’s examine two assets He’s given us to steward.
First, within your work environment, how are you relating to your customers, employees, and colleagues? Are you drawing out and developing their skills and wisdom? A “Christian business” isn’t simply an honest business or one that properly pays its taxes, rather it is one committed to developing human beings because that is the Father’s heart. Good leaders help others discover the plans and visions God has for them (see Proverbs 20:5).
If you want the Father’s blessing on what you do, you will make it a priority to discover the gifts of others, saved or unsaved, and draw them into what God created them to be—not mere employees or coworkers but members of the divine partnership of Almighty & Family. You are about Father’s business. As you begin help others discern their gifts and fulfill their calling by the power of the Holy Spirit, the unsaved will get saved and the saved will grow in maturity. That is what economic evangelism and discipleship is all about.
Second, maturation in stewardship of possessions is a major part of training in our spiritual lives. Good leaders help their people become better stewards. Jesus revealed three principles when He said these words:
He who is faithful in very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? —Luke 16:10-12
We grow: 1) from small to large, 2) from natural to spiritual, and 3) from managing someone else’s things to managing your own.
God, as a wise Employer/Father, brings His servants into mature fellowship with Himself by making them His work partners. Unity comes from sharing goals, responsibilities, and time together. God’s original intent has always been to build with us. To think that He designed the created order to respond to man’s care is awe-inspiring indeed! And that, my friend, is…
THE BOTTOM LINE.
And the Lord said, ‘’Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. —Luke 12:42-44
This month’s Bottom Line is excerpted from Chapter 2 of Dennis Peacocke’s book, Doing Business God’s Way, which is available for purchase via the links below. Supplemental materials, including a Student Workbook and Leader’s Manual, are available for use in small-group studies. Paperback | eBook | Hardcover | Kindle | Small-Group Materials | Other Languages