Or Stewardship, the Biblical model for Living and Giving
With the economy in turmoil, and the Stock market in a spin, it can be
hard to gain a biblical perspective on our financial lives.
“What if?” questions abound, and investment advisors are all
over the map, giving advice everywhere from “wait” to
“sell it all.” In this time of turbulence it is
important to remember several biblical principles. The first
principle to remember is one of abiding – remembering who God is, and
your relationship with Him. The second principle is God’s
commands on finances and temporal prosperity. The third principle
is scriptures command for wisdom in all things. With each of these
principles firmly in your mind, and a heart in God’s Word, the
economy can die, soar, or stay right where it is and you will be
contently where you should be!
Abiding
The principle of abiding is simple, yet one of the hardest,
moment-by-moment parts of the Christian life. John 15:1-11 is a
powerful passage (an understatement since this is the very Word of God)
that discusses abiding, without a wonderfully detailed exposition the
following section will detail some of the highlights that apply to the
topic.
The divine root of Christ is our source of life. Verse one states
that Christ is the source of Life, and that God manages what stays on,
and what will be grafted on to this source. Point one: God
is Sovereign! Verse two is controversial, but it is the view of the
author that the text translated ‘takes away’ could better be
translated ‘elevated’. Vinedressers that find branches
that have sagged to the ground elevate, or lift up the branches so
that they can grow. I believe that if you are in the vine that you
cannot lose your ‘vine-ness’. Those who God sees
bearing fruit he prunes to help them produce more fruit.
Point two: God is developing us, taking us through a maturing
process! In verse three Christ tells His disciples that He has
already made them clean – a pre-resurrection sanctification.
Verse four clearly illustrates the depth of abiding: There cannot be
fruit without an intimate connection (I.E. relationship) with the
vine. Abiding is dwelling, staying with, being with or
enduring. Point Three: We must dwell with Christ.
Verse five continues on in this thought and encourages us that if we
abide in Christ we will bear much fruit, not some, but much.
Point Four: If we abide we will not only do God’s will, but
also we will do it unto His glory, and we cannot miss the mark and all
that He has promised us (Eph 2:10; Phil 1:6). Skipping all the way
to verse 11 we see that Christ promises fullness of Joy. Point
Five: Christ tells us that His will for us, and the things He has
planned for us should and will bring us joy!
So what does abiding have to do with stewardship? I Timothy 6:6-11
tells us that godliness is a means to great gain! (Point 1) But
only when it is accompanied by contentment – what we consider worth
gaining changes. (Point 2) This is followed by the reality that
nothing came into this world with us, and nothing is going out with us
– what we have and hold here is only short term. Contentment
should come from food and clothing – anything more is a
blessing. We have raised the standards for blessing here in the US
to some appalling levels, without being truly thankful for the every day
details.
Paul continues on pointing out that pursuing money for selfish gain
brings about traps and temptation – a thing we’re to avoid
(Verse 11)! Men will be plunged into ruin! The love of money
is the root of all evils (some translations say “all sorts of
evil”, but really the root of greed is pride, and I digress).
If we are obsessed with the root of evil, and not abiding in the root of
life, we will not bear fruit.
An illustration to end this section:
Picture a beautiful waterfall. A man and a woman are sitting by a
waterfall, they can look up and see all the water spraying down, they are
in the shade of the water fall, and it encapsulates their vision –
all they see is beautiful to their eyes. Further away from the base
of the waterfall is another couple, they can see the waterfall, and they
can see a little past the crest of the waterfall – they can glimpse
a little bit of God – they have the ‘best of both
worlds’, some waterfall, and some of God. Still further out
is another couple, they don’t really see the waterfall too much,
and its misty gorge is rough to make out, however they have an
unobstructed view of God! The world can be our ‘scum sweet
heart’ it can be perfectly dirty. Don’t get distracted
by the waterfall, because all the money is like water under the bridge,
or over the edge of a waterfall.
“My” Finances
The second principle to be presented is the principle of God’s
ministry of stewardship. There tends to be several views of
“Christian Money Handling”:
- I give God 10% and that appeases Him.
-
I give God some of my money when I think I have enough, because it
really doesn’t matter. -
God gives me money to be a steward of – so I better do the best I
can with it.
Believe it or not, it is the view of the author that all of these views
(some more obviously than others) are at least somewhat off base.
If I were to have to choose one of these views (on penalty of death)
I’d choose the third option, but still it falls short of the
biblical practice of stewardship.
There are often misconceptions about handling finances because of where
the emphasis of ownership or responsibility lands in our
understanding. To clearly outline the biblical view[2] the following
section will offer scripture and some commentary on it to emphasize the main points.
Firstly, it must be understood that since God is the ex nihilo
(‘out of nothing’) creator He owns everything since He made
it. If we are to understand the value of things it must be under
God’s construct or value system. Paul writes about
stewardship in Philippians 4:18-19 in such tremendous language that it is
hard to not get excited in anticipation of our being tools for the Most
High!
Philippians 4:18-19
18 But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am
amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a
fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory
in Christ Jesus.[3]
Paul’s note here about the generosity of the believers is
incredible. To gain a sense of perspective we should know that Paul
found himself in need and the church in Philippi found out about the
need. Paul is writing the church after their generosity. Paul
first states that he has received everything in full, the Greek here
implies having to actually reject or hold off more. God’s
provision in his life is complete. Paul is amply (Greek
‘Pleroo’ means fulfilled or made full) supplied with an
offering that is
- A fragrant aroma
- An acceptable sacrifice
- Well pleasing to God
This third point should strike us as a key because we see that what the
church had sent was pleasing to God. God had a) created the need b)
created the agents (Paul, the church, and Epaphroditus), c) created
the fulfillment, and d) brought glory to His name and allowed man to be
involved with the process!
In one of Paul’s infamous run-on sentences he continues on to say
in verse 19 that his God (a term of intimacy) will fulfill (Grk. Pleroo)
all (each and every) needs or necessities. The fulfillment will
come out of God’s infinite riches and glory (exalted state), which
are in Christ!
God has given each one of us a mission (Eph 2:10), which He is prepared
to equip you for both physically, spiritually, emotionally, and
financially. God will provide every need for your stewardship of
His money. You will not need to sweat, worry, or concern yourself
with how you will do the things you need to do, if you are abiding in
Him, He will make every end meet.
Don’t look at stewardship as a responsibility of just handling
God’s money, look at it as a ministry – it is part of your
mission that God will operate through you.
Wisdom of the Ages
One thing that is often forgotten in discussions about Sovereignty is
God’s call for us to be wise and discerning. It is important
for us to be wise with our planning for the future. James 4:13-14
talks about the plans of man, and how we proudly move forward without the
consultation of God, and His holy Word. But, if we live to be 65,
75, 85, 105, or only 35 we need to consider what we have stored up for
the time when we cannot work, or do not work.
Planning is part of wisdom
In Luke 14:28-30 Jesus tells the disciples a parable about a man who does
not plan out building a tower and how foolish he is considered when later
its half built and it is a monument to his folly. While this
parable is not only about planning ahead and calculating out what the
cost will be, there is much wisdom in seeing the need for planning.
Saving for retirement is a serious mission we have, because we may reach
a point where we can no longer make an income, and so we’ll need to
know how to gain, multiply, and maintain our resources as wisely as
possible.
Remember Hermeneutics
Hermeneutics is the process of digesting scripture for practical
application. There are three steps to hermeneutics: 1) observe, 2)
interpret, and 3) apply. If you miss one of these steps you will
miss much of the Bible’s wisdom. In finances it is the same:
If you don’t observe the financial situation God has you in, you
will not be able to interpret where you are carefully to apply His
finances in the right place. This suggests that we need to know
what is happening in our finances, and evaluate what the stare
we’re in means, and what we can do with those finances within the
Lord’s will.
Passing Wisdom On
If you have a wonderful secret, like the gospel, you need to share
it. Parents all too often don’t share the biblical truths
they know onto their children. Part of the biblical truths should
include wise handling of money, budgeting, and good contribution
stewardship. If you don’t spread the gospel of Jesus, what
are you spreading?
Conclusion
We need to understand that God has placed us in a time where He
predestined us, having predestined us for a relationship with Him.
He wanted us to go out and do works that He has created for His
glorification through us. He has already funded those works!
We are to be wise with the money He entrusted us with because wisdom is
the example He shows us for part of our godly living.
Attached to this brief study are some materials that the author’s
father has passed onto him. These materials are not prophetic, they
are not scriptural, and they are based upon ideas that man has
extrapolated – read them critically, but also understand that
wisdom in the area of investing may be used to fulfill your mission, and
fund other’s missions. Wealth with spiritually based
contentment is not sin; love of money is.
Appendix A
The following is the opinion of the author based upon these materials,
and should be taken as opinion, but one that is based upon some
research. It is fallible, and the author does not take any
responsibility for the application of these ideas, unless they work (ha
ha ha).
The economy is on a down cycle that looks incredibly similar to previous
down cycles that ended in economic depressions.
If the above statement is true then here are some recommendations
Pay off any and all debt! In a depression deflation happens, money
is worth more, not less (inflation) so if you owe $15,000.00 on a car
now, and the deflation gets steep, you’re now responsible for a
debt for a car that is worth less money, even though the money is worth
more. Example: (NOTE: completely hypothetical and is made for a
point, this may be an extreme exaggeration) 1 person out of 4,000 is out
of a job, he sells a car and the buyer has a few choices, the value of a
dollar is constant or inflating, the loan for that car is steady in
value. However in a depression, maybe up to 1,000 people are out of
a job they want to sell their cars too, the buyer has a lot of choices,
and because they all need money they may be willing to bargain and bring
the price down, just to make some money. The value of the dollar
went up (the seller values that dollar more, because they need it), while
the cost of the items decreased.
Save as much money as you are able to while still paying off debt.
If you have money when a depression hits you have several options and
benefits:
You have the money to buy the devalued items – you make the
bargains yours. If a house is $100,000.00 now, it could be $50,000
or less later because people are only willing to pay that much.
You don’t have to sell your car, house, or whatever because you
have money put away.
You can actually help stem the depression, and help the economy find a
bottom. If you are spending money, then the drop may stop due to
economic movement.
You are being a good steward with God’s money because you are not
feeding the flesh, and obsessed with greed and stuff.
Try to stock up on non-perishables. This is an easy way for you to
minister to others in need. If you have food you can offer
temporary help, and if you have eternal hope to share, you may be used by
God to bless other families.
Look for ways to invest that will allow you to build up some money
safely. Bear markets have opportunities; you will need to find
them.
Check our your financial institutions, keep some money on hand at all
times at your house. If there is a run on the banks, you will need
to be ready – if all of your money is in the bank, it could take
some time to get it out. FDIC is not a ‘sure thing’,
even though it sounds like it is.
Plan a budget out, and stick with it – its part of having
self-control.
Pray – keep your family close by staying tightly knit in
God’s fellowship. Finances can break a family apart, make
sure that the bond of Christ makes that impossible.
Lastly, trust in God. He’s in charge of the whole of history,
including now.
[2] Biblical in
the perspective of the author, who requests he be corrected if some point
in this principle seems off center, or heretical.
[3]The New
American Standard Bible, 1995 Update, (La Habra, California: The
Lockman Foundation) 1996.