We have the idea that we can dedicate our gifts to God.
However, you cannot dedicate what’s not yours.
– Oswald Chambers
Years ago, I invited the conference stewardship director and good friend to be the guest speaker in the church I pastored. He spoke about the new budget for the conference and how each local church has to increase the giving so the new budget can be reached and the conference can meet its financial responsibilities. After his visit, I received many questions from the congregation regarding the steward’s responsibilities and whom we should have as the focus of our giving. In this reflection on stewardship, we will look at the object of the steward’s service as a foundation for giving and why it is essential to give only to the Lord.
There is no steward or stewardship without a lord or lordship. Biblical and Christian stewardship does not exist without the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the sovereignty of God. In other words, stewardship only exists in the context of God’s ownership, household, and economy. We will face these subjects in the upcoming articles. But, who is this sovereign Lord the stewards serve? David, the chosen of God, exclaimed: The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein (Psalm 24:1, NKJV). Asaph the Psalmist also acknowledged God’s ownership by proclaiming: For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10, NLT). Even as arguing with Job, The Lord declared: Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine (Job 41:11, NKJV).
The stewards are serving the owner of this world and of the universe. They are serving the Creator God, Elohim, and handling, increasing, and multiplying all that the owner has surrendered into their hands for the Owners glory and not their own. Blackaby wrote, “He [God] reveals what He is doing, and then we adjust our lives, our plans, and our goals to Him. We are to place our lives at His disposal—where He is working—so He can accomplish His purposes through us.” 1 The stewards have only one purpose, and that is to make the name, the character, the economy, the property, the kingdom, and the realm of their Lord glorious. The stewards live for the glory of their Lord, Master, and King and not for their own. They can do this only because they know who they serve. They know their Lord.
In one of his sermons, the late S.M. Lockridge spoke of the Lord and King he knew: “My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define His limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. DO YOU KNOW HIM? He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s a sinner’s Savior. He’s the centerpiece of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented … I WONDER IF YOU KNOW HIM? He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. DO YOU KNOW HIM? His life is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. I WISH I COULD DESCRIBE HIM TO YOU! He is indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He is invincible. He is irresistible. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get him off of your hand. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him. The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him; they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him; Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him; the grave couldn’t hold Him.” 2
The stewards know their Lord and Master as he is. They see the service to the Lord and Master as most honorable, worthy, glorious, and wonderful. For this reason, they will never stop giving their utmost with borrowed time, talent, or treasure. The intensity of serving will never linger, and the commitment will never faint. Just as Isaiah said: But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31, NKJV).
In Part 4 of the series, we will look at what the waiting stewards manage, invest in, and multiply for their Master.
—Anton Kapusi is the lead pastor of Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo by Pexels.
1 Blackabe H., and Blackaby R. (2008). Experiencing God. BH Publishing, p. 188.
2 Martin, A. (2008, July 23). That’s My King Dr. S.M. Lockridge – [OFFICIAL]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqTFNfeDnE
