Webster’s Dictionary defines the word steward as a person who is “employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns.” In other words, a steward is a manager. He manages another’s property on behalf of and for the benefit of the owner. From a biblical perspective, stewardship carries a deeper meaning. God has made mankind the stewards of all creation. He has given to each of us a portion of his creation to manage.

The Origins of Stewardship⤒🔗

To fully understand biblical stewardship, we must go right to the very beginning, when God created all things. How did God create Adam and Eve? In a special way. After God had created all things – the earth and everything that is in it, including all the animals – He created man. God created Adam and Eve in his own image. He created them with special qualities or attributes that no other creature or creation possessed. God made them with qualities such as righteousness and holiness. He gave man an intellect, moral responsibility, a will, and a mind. There was a good reason for God to create man in this way. God made man his representative on earth. His ambassador. God put Adam and Eve, and all their descendants, in charge of the earth. Everything in the world, including the animals, were given to them to be managed for their use and service. In short, God made Adam and Eve stewards. Managers. Caretakers. God wanted them to take care of the earth on his behalf. They were to use all that was in the world for their service to God and for the glory of his Name. Because God made man perfect and without sin, he was able to fulfill his task without sin. He was able to be a faithful steward.

The Distortion of Stewardship←⤒🔗

But Adam and Eve’s fall into sin terribly distorted their ability to fulfill this task. The image of God which they bore was severely marred. All the things that God gave them in creation, including what was given to them personally in their bodies and minds, Adam and Eve could no longer faithfully manage. Suddenly, they became very poor stewards. No longer were they able to manage everything for God’s glory. Instead, it became their inclination and desire to use creation and their own personal gifts for their own glory. They wanted to subject everything to their own will. Being sinful, this led to all sorts of perversions in their position before God and of God’s creation. Creation was used to glorify the self. This led to many abuses that have continued until today.

For example, today we experience pollution. Mankind uses many of God’s good gifts but does not properly dispose of the by-products. As another example, we think of extinction. Today many animals and plants that God created have become extinct, and thousands more are on the endangered species list. As another example of abuse, we are faced with the danger of depletion of natural resources. In many areas of the world natural resources such as oil, softwood lumber, arable land, clean air and fresh drinking water are severely expended or even no longer available. This is because man, in a sinful state, failed to properly control the use of these resources. All of these things God created for man to use, but because of bad stewardship, or mismanagement, many of these things can no longer be used to their optimum potential.

This does not mean that we may take the opposite far extreme position, such as those involved in the environmental movement. Environmentalism undermines the position of created man. It makes creation as important, if not more important than man. This is also bad stewardship. For man no longer worships God by using creation for man’s development and service to God, but instead worships the creation. Creation itself becomes a god. We are grateful for the efforts of environmental groups to alert us to the mismanagement of creation as well as the many aspects of danger that creation is in. However, we do not appreciate their basis. Their basis is not the service of God, but it is the service of the creation itself. This is also seen in the fact that environmental groups are often willing to endanger human life for the sake of creation. That is backwards. Creation was given by God to enhance humankind, not endanger it.

The Restoration of Stewardship←⤒🔗

This all brings us to our Christian view. The Christian believes that all of creation is subject to man. However, this is not because mankind is god, or has ultimate power, but because God the creator has ordained it so. With the fall into sin, therefore, mankind rebelled against God. He did not want a position of steward. He wanted to be god himself. He wanted to worship other gods. Nevertheless, by grace, God gave his Son so that man, whose image was distorted by sin, may also be restored to God. Through renewal and restoration by the Holy Spirit, mankind can once again become faithful stewards for God’s kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ was willing to shed his glorious position over all creation and subject Himself to death – the consequence of man’s rebellion. Jesus suffered God’s wrath against the sin of the whole world. On this basis only God graciously promises us the Holy Spirit to make us new people, and to help us to be once again good managers and stewards of his creation, to his glory alone.

The Scriptures on Stewardship←⤒🔗

On this basis, we listen to what the Scriptures say further about godly stewardship. We consider what the Lord Jesus teaches us in Matthew 25. Jesus begins by saying, “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey...” What does the word “it” refer to in the words, “Again it will be...”? That word refers to the kingdom of heaven. In particular, the Lord Jesus means the fulfillment or completion of the kingdom, when our Saviour will return. The parable we read is reflecting on the return of the Lord Jesus, and what we must do in the meantime toward that end. It is like a man going on a journey, “who called his servants and entrusted property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.” A talent was a unit of money. The owner wanted his servants to work with the money, investing it, and getting a return on it. When the man returned from his journey, he met with his servants (or stewards) in order to settle accounts. He wanted to see what his servants did with the property he gave them. In succession, we see that the first servants were able to reap a return of 100% of what was entrusted. This implies that they worked very hard with the property and the gifts that were given to them. They did this for their master out of love and devotion to him. But there is one who did not get a return. That’s because he did not use the talent entrusted to him for the benefit of the master. In short, he was lazy. He did not feel like working hard. With him the master was not pleased.

In this parable, the talent represents the money or possessions that we own in this life. All the money or possessions we hold, whether that is through labour, gifts, bursary or inheritance, is in fact given to us to be used for the kingdom of God. However, the talent mentioned in the parable represents more than that. It refers to all that God gives us in the kingdom. Time. Abilities. Gifts. Creation itself. It represents any kind of resource that we are given. According to our abilities, God gives them to us. He, as our Master, expects us, as his stewards, to invest all these resources wisely until Christ returns. We are responsible to use well what God has given us. The issue is not how much we have, but how well we use what we have been given. Everything that He gives us to do we must do for 100%. We must apply ourselves to develop every resource and opportunity that is given to us. We must not, like the last man, think only of ourselves. We must not be self-centred. We must not find excuses to avoid doing what God calls us to do. Rather, we must willingly obey our Master in heaven. All that we have, all that we will receive in the future – our money, our material possessions, our time, our abilities and our creation – we must use to God’s glory. After all, none of this is really ours. We are only stewards. Managers. Caretakers. We are not the owners. Thus, when we ignore, squander, or abuse what we are given, we are rebellious and deserve to be punished. Then we show that we are unfaithful.

These words apply to all of us according to our specific circumstances. On the one hand, God has created us different. The creator gave us different abilities, likes, gifts, and treasures. On the other hand, God has created us the same. We are all stewards of his kingdom. We all receive the same command: use whatever God has given you only for his kingdom and for his sake.

We must do our best with what God gives. A student who struggles in school cannot determine from this that he does not have to study. Rather, he must go to school, develop what God has given him, to the best of his ability. If he has been given one talent, so to speak, the Lord still wants to see a return on it. He may not bury it. Likewise, a student who does well should not be lazy in his study habits. Where several talents are given, the Lord wants several in return. Whatever God gives us to do, we must strive to do our best with the abilities we have.

We are bad stewards when we squander the gifts that God gives us. To use one example, when we drive our cars, recklessly or irresponsibly, we are behaving as bad stewards. Such exciting journeys usually end in accidents, expensive traffic tickets, higher insurance premiums, or all three! Not to mention that we put our lives or health at risk, which are also gifts from God! Driving recklessly today means that tomorrow, in future years, we shall continue to pay thousands of dollars, money which could have been much better spent in other areas of God’s kingdom. To use other examples, recreation, vacations, fun, material possessions and even our health are important and help us serve God. Let us learn to be responsible stewards with these gifts, always looking ahead and making wise choices. As one person said, “Every spending decision is a spiritual decision.” Never squander what God gives you. Every breath we take is a gift from God.

In Summary←⤒🔗

What this all teaches us is that being a good steward and a living Christian involves a number of things. Let us then in summary fashion consider what good steward must do:

1. Pray. First and foremost, you are a steward of the Lord God in heaven. You are his servant. You work for Him, making use of his gifts and possessions. Therefore, you should call upon Him regularly seeking his blessing, and you should read his Word daily to learn His will for your lives. Ask God for help in being a faithful steward. Pray to Him.

2. Plan. In order to be a good steward, you must know where you are. You need to determine where the Lord wants you to go. Finally, you must decide what is the best and most faithful way of getting there. Being a good steward means that you learn how to budget your money and your time.
   You need to take stock of your life. What abilities do you have? What resources has God given to you? How much time does He give? What is most important to do? Through careful planning, you will know what you can do and when you ought to do it. You should make plans.

3. Postpone. Sometimes, in order to do what is right, we have to put certain things off. That may mean something special you like to have, or would like to do. Sometimes you have to say no to yourself, so that you will say yes to God. A good steward prioritizes his time and possessions. If necessary, you should postpone what is not important.

4. Proceed. Once you know what is important, don’t delay with it. Do it now. Do what the master wants. Do not be lazy and slothful. Don’t waste time. Seize the day. A good steward does not bury his talent. Rather, he proceeds to use it, for time is of essence. We do not know when the Lord Jesus will return.

5. Persevere. Don’t give up. The returns on our investments don’t always appear right away. Results don’t always come over night. To be the good steward as God wants us to be means that we have to work hard and give it our all. Stewardship is a long-term process. A good steward perseveres.

6. And finally, Protect. Take very good care of what you do have. Don’t squander it. Do not be reckless with your possessions. Do not waste them. They are not yours. They are God’s, to be used with care. That is what a caretaker is. He takes care of what God has given to Him. He protects and preserves all of it, for the glory of the Lord. As good stewards, learn to protect.

We began with defining stewardship. Stewardship is managing another’s property. As Christians we understand from this that everything in this world belongs to God. God has given everything in the world, and all sorts of abilities, to us, to each in the proper measure, to be used and managed for his kingdom and glory. May the Lord God give us strength and wisdom to help us be faithful stewards. May it be so that when Christ returns, He will say to us,

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!