Introduction
Stewardship is a biblical principle, which means taking care of what has been entrusted to. A steward can be a manager of the household property or an overseer. In other terms, a steward is a ‘House Keeper”. A faithful steward functions according to the wishes and instructions or for the profit of the owner rather than immediate personal benefits.
Christian stewardship is the execution of God’s desires within the House of the Lord; for the Church. The Bible explicitly stresses the requirements and rewards of faithful stewardship in Luke 12:42 and coveys that the Lord is looking for the faithful and wise steward, to rule over his household.
The above portion illustrates faithfulness and wiseness in doing stewardship. So when it is observed in terms of types of stewardship the above two types of criteria can be understood clearly.
Stewardship in finances
In Malachi 3:10, Lord commands the people to “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse” to make the food available to the poor in the local society to be fed by through the local church. The believers are to show the stewards through the responsibility of the poor and needy assigned to them in their land.
And if the believer is not obeying this command; the Bible is pointing the activity as ‘robbing from God’ in Malachi 3:8 concerning tithes and offerings.
Also has another side of edge with reference to Mathew 23:23 stressing on the ‘weightier matters of the Law’. The Lord Jesus Christ commands the people to take concern of the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith along with tithes and offerings in mint, anise, and cumin.
God also placed man on the earth ad all that it contains as seen in Genesis 1:26 and Psalm 8:6-8 and expects a good managerial execution on earth ground, animal and sea life, and the environment.
Bible not only commands the stewardship but also gives guidelines to follow:
The steward should never forget that God is the Owner of everything and the steward should work to establish God’s will and God’s kingdom on earth. A faithful practice can be observed through accountability to God. Accountability is asked in Luke 12:35 not just for money, but also for other resources, abilities, talents (1 Peter 4:10), Our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19), the given gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1), and other blessings. Because the word of God says, in 1 Corinthians 3:13 that “Every man’s work shall be made manifest”.
Along with maintenance, the increment is also expected from the steward by the Lord. God is looking for the wise investment of what he has entrusted to the believer as it is evident in Matthew 25: 22-29, the passage of talents to the servants. Such profitability in investment needs wise ness and diligence. Such wise steward in Luke 12:42 and diligent steward as in Luke 12:36,37 are sure to receive the reward.
The steward loves the creation along with the creator, as it is being created by the Lord (Colossians 1:16, 20). A true steward believes the Lord’s ability for his provisions (Matt. 6:19-34) and without being anxious for his supply, serves the Master (Matt. 6:24) seeking the Kingdom first (Mathew 6:33) than anything else. In Bible II Cor. 8, Gal. 6:6, III John 5-8, I Tim. 5:17,18 have instructions to observe the generosity as stewardship.
Conclusion
Social responsibility towards people, the bio-environment, and the money are the symptoms of love towards the creator and can be expressed through faithful stewardship.
References
The Holy Bible – King James Version.
Questions about God’s Ownership and Man’s Stewardship, 2008. Web.