Love-Inspired Stewardship
Do you know that God loves you? No, really! God loves you! He is completely and utterly in love with you. Some of us accept this truth with our minds but have a more difficult time doing so with our hearts.
I have an A-type personality. I am ambitious, organized, task-driven, and goal-oriented. I hate wasting time. I am a multitasker, and I'm driven. I believe these are good qualities, but there's a downside to this drive to perform, and although it affects A-types like me more often, the desire to earn God's love is an issue we all face and must deal with.
The motives behind our actions
As a detailed person, I'm driven to do things to the best of my ability. This may sound noble, and it can be, but it can easily lead to perfectionism. To make things more complicated, the Bible encourages us to be perfect. Biblical Verses such as, "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) and "And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:4) seem to reinforce this notion that God expects perfection.
Religion intensifies this ideal of perfectionism.
As a young believer, I felt condemned every time I didn't meet God's perfection standards. My church leaders, although well-meaning, focused mainly on obedience to God's laws. I can't recall one sermon on grace in all my early years as a Christian. I believed that God couldn't possibly love me, not as I was, but if I could do better, maybe eventually he would love and accept me.
Formal education and our imperfect parents add to this perfection ideal by rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. Not that this shouldn't be done, but it's occasionally done in the absence of love. Because of this, we develop a wrong understanding of love and how to obtain it. We believe doing good leads to acceptance and reward; doing bad leads to rejection and punishment. These beliefs are most pronounced in our relationship with God.
Is it any wonder why so many people pursue perfection as a means of being accepted by God?
Unfortunately, when the standard is perfection, a standard we haven't yet achieved but feel that we must, it opens us up to guilt, shame, and the belief that God will only love us when we're perfect. We associate love with behavior. That's where the pursuit of perfection and the drive to perform comes in as a means to acceptance and love. We serve to earn God's love, and we do the same to gain the love and acceptance of others.
As Christians, we are to be good stewards of all the resources God gives us. Biblical principles provide us the wisdom and instructions for how we are to manage those resources. We have the roadmap, and we have the vehicle, but what's motivating our progress? Are we fulfilling our obligations so that one day we can stand before God having earned our reward? Are we keeping score?
Is our motivation obedience or love?
What we do is essential, but the motive for our actions is even more so.
Love inspired stewardship
Adam's reason for hiding from God after eating the fruit (Genesis 3:10) was that he was afraid. What was he afraid of? He had disobeyed God's instruction, and he was fearful that God would reject (stop loving him) and punish him. Fear is a byproduct of sin. We fear that God will reject and no longer love us.
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18
God has proven his love toward us by sending His Son to take the punishment we deserve for our sin. Accepting God's invitation to a new life means there is no condemnation or punishment for you anymore. God loves us so much that he was willing to die for us. Is there a more excellent way to prove your love for someone than sacrificing your own life that they may live? That's the ultimate test of love, and God has proven His love, so you don't need ever to fear losing it.
The enemy would have you believe that God doesn't love you. You've messed up too much, sinned one too many times, and there's no hope for you. You behave as if you need to earn back that love; you need to do something to deserve to be loved. That's where the error lies.
Love is GIVEN; it cannot be earned.
There is nothing you can do to earn God's love. You can't give enough, do enough, serve enough, or sacrifice enough to gain his love, and you don't have to. All you can do is receive it. Take God at his word. He truly loves you, as you are, now, not as you one day may become. Never doubt God's love. Instead, let God's love inspire your actions and the way you steward everything he puts into your hands.
For reflection:
Do you believe God loves you unconditionally, or do you feel an obligation to repay God for all he's done for you?
Are you driven to perform? How do you react when things don't work out as you planned?
Do you measure your success based on results or your faithfulness and commitment to do your best?
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