The High Stakes of Stewardship
Guest Author: Austin Pryor
Perhaps you've heard the tale of the three bricklayers working on a project. When asked what they were making, the first said, "$18 an hour." The next replied, "We're making a wall to help support the roof." But the third said, "We're building a cathedral for worshipping God!" They were all engaged in the same task, but only one caught the bigger vision.
I imagine a new version of the story that features investors contacting their brokers to make a trade. A spouse, or one of their children, comes along and asks what they're doing. One says, "Oh, just placing some mutual fund orders." Another replies, "I'm investing for our future." But the third responds, "I'm managing God's money for His glory."
Do you have a big vision for your stewardship duties? Or do you think of it as merely paying the bills, putting some money into an investment account, and giving to the church? If it's the latter and your money management routine seems humdrum, maybe you've lost sight of the big picture.
Your financial decisions have the potential for life-changing blessings and eternal impact—for you, your loved ones, and those you minister to through your giving. Make better decisions and, like the faithful stewards in the parable of the talents, your efforts will bring a smile to the Master. Make indifferent or undisciplined decisions, and you'll have wasted a lifetime of opportunities.
What kind of decisions am I talking about? Here's a starter list of common failures among families:
Failure to develop a spending plan that assures you end up with a monthly surplus rather than spending more than you earn.
Failure to assign a high priority to giving generously to the Lord and His kingdom work. Failure to be responsible in your use of credit.
Failure to drive a car or live in a home that's within your means.
Failure to build a contingency fund.
Failure to contribute strategically to your IRA or 401(k).
Failure to learn the basics so you can invest wisely.
Taken individually, none of these tasks is particularly difficult, but they all require self-discipline. They take effort and a degree of sacrifice. But the end result is worth it. Not only because we will enjoy greater success in money matters, but more importantly, living up to our potential brings glory to our gracious God.
In his book, "Pierced by the Word," John Piper put it this way: "God made us with the highest creaturely purpose in mind—to enjoy and display the Creator's glory. This is why we were made ('All things were created through Him and for Him.' - Colossians 1:16). This is why we eat and drink ('So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.' - 1 Corinthians 10:31). This is why we pray ('Whatever you ask the Father in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.' - John 14:13). This is why we do all good deeds ('Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.' - Matthew 5:16)."
That is why we exist—to display the glory of God... When we fulfill this reason for being, we have substance. There is weight and significance in our existence. Knowing, enjoying, and thus displaying the glory of God is a sharing in the glory of God. Not that we become God. But something of His greatness and beauty is on us as we realize this purpose for our being—to image-forth His excellence. This is our substance.
"Not to fulfill this purpose for human existence is to be a mere shadow of the substance we were created to have. Not to display God's worth by enjoying Him above all things is to be a mere echo of the music we were created to make.
"This is a great tragedy. Humans are not made to be mere shadows and echoes. We were made to have God-like substance and make God-like music, and have God-like impact. That is what it means to be created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).
Dear reader, be not shadows and echoes. Set your face like flint to see and know and enjoy and live in the light of the Lord. You will make God-like music with your life. Death will but dispatch you to paradise. And what you leave behind will not be a mere shadow or echo, but a tribute on earth, written in heaven, to the triumphant grace of God."
Austin Pryor is the founder and publisher of Sound Mind Investing; an organization created more than 30 years ago at the encouragement of the late Larry Burkett. SMI exists in order to help Christians invest well so that they can provide for their families and invest generously in God's Kingdom work. The company publishes a monthly investment newsletter and offers "Multiply," a four-week video-based small group study that teaches a biblical approach to investing.
For Further Reading:
Living and Giving During Retirement
When, What, and How to Teach Your Kids About Money
The 3 “Must Have” Components of an Effective Stewardship Ministry
A Stewardship Ministry in Every Church
Managing Wealth - An Issue of the Heart
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