Our Responsibilities
We are to be faithful stewards of God's possessions.
A steward is a manager of someone else's possessions. God owns all that we have, and He has given us the responsibility to manage our things faithfully according to the financial principles of Scripture. "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful " (I Corinthians 4:2 NASB).
We are to be faithful with whatever we have, even if it is little. "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much " (Luke 16:10).
If we are faithful with small things, God will trust us with greater responsibilities. We must not handle our money and possessions in ways that would displease Him because this would make us unfaithful stewards.
Read what is said to the faithful steward, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share Your master's happiness" (Matthew 25:21). Now, compare this with what is said to the unfaithful one, "You wicked, lazy servant... take the talent [an amount of money] from him" (Matthew 25:26-28). The Lord wants us to understand the importance of being a faithful steward.
Be careful of extreme teachings on wealth and poverty. One extreme is that godliness can only occur in poverty.
Money and possessions can be used for good or evil. A number of godly people in Scripture were among the wealthiest people of their day.
In the Old Testament the Lord extended the reward of abundance to His people when they were obedient, while the threat of poverty was one of the consequences of disobedience. Deuteronomy 30:15-16 reads, "I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today° to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands ...and the Lord your God will bless you. "
Psalm 35:27 reads, "The Lord ...delights in the prosperity of His servant. " [NASB] We may legitimately pray for prosperity when our relationship with the Lord is healthy and we have a proper perspective of possessions. "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2 [NASB]). The Bible does not say that a godly person must live in poverty. A godly person may have material resources.
The opposite extreme is that all Christians who truly have faith will always prosper financially. This extreme is also an error.
Study the life of Joseph. He is an example of a faithful person who experienced prosperity and poverty. He was born into a prosperous family, then thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. While Joseph was a slave, his master promoted him to be head of his household. Later he made the righteous decision not to commit adultery with his master's wife. The result? He suffered years in prison for that right decision. But then, in God's timing, he was elevated to Prime Minister of Egypt.
The guideline for prosperity is found in Joshua 1:8, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. "
This passage offers two requirements for prosperity. Meditate on the Scriptures and do everything they command. When you do this, you place yourself in the position to be prospered financially. There is no guarantee, however, that God will choose financial prosperity for you. He knows what is best for you and requires that you trust Him for whatever He chooses.
| Poverty | Steward | Prosperity |
| Possessions are: | Evil | A responsibility | A right |
| I work to: | Meet only basic needs | Serve Christ | Become rich |
| Godly people are: | Poor | Faithful | Wealth |
| Ungodly people are: | Wealth | Unfaithful | Poor |
| I give: | Because I must | Because I love God | To get |
| My spending is: | Fearful and joyless | Prayerful and responsible | Carefree and consumptive |
[The text is from "Principles of Financial Success", a seminar presented by Crown Financial Ministries.]
