Stewardship

Stewardship is defined as “the management or care of something.” In the case of Christianity, stewardship means taking care of the world around us and giving freely of our time and money. The problem is that our time, money, and possessions are very precious to us. For those of us who work full time or multiple jobs, there is not a lot of spare time to be had. And if we give it to other people, then there is none left for us. The same goes for our money and possessions. When we are giving so much, it is sometimes hard to see where the benefit is for us or how we are being made better through it. But God promises blessings to those who give generously.

2 Corinthians 9: 6 says “Remember this: Whoever shows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will reap generously.” My husband and I love to play board games and one of our favorites is called “Settlers of Catan.” The point of the game is to collect resources which you can then trade in to build roads and settlements which then earn you more resources, etc. In order to flourish in the game you have to be willing to spend your resources. If you hold on to them, you will never advance your colony and never win the game. But if you are willing to spend, even if it means you will have no resources for a few turns, you will see the rewards later in the game.

The same is true with our giving. God asks us to give everything but it results in a great return for God's kingdom, and sometimes even for us. Mother Teresa once said “Intense love does not measure, it just gives." God’s amazing love to us in Christ is an example of this, and we can respond to his generosity by being generous. Don’t hold on to your resources. Give freely and trust that God will provide for you even as he uses you to provide for others!