6 Core Beliefs of the Faithful Kingdom Steward
Excerpted from the Generous Giving website
1. Giving Is a Heart Issue
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:21
We invest our time, energy, and resources in the things that matter most to us. They are often things that ensnare us and stand in the way of liberation from materialism.
Remarkably, in much the same way your treasure reveals your heart, the purposeful reallocation of your 'treasure' can be an effective way to guide your heart away from earthly values and toward more meaningful treasure.
"My heart always goes where I put God's money." - Randy Alcorn
Giving is not only an indication of where your heart is, but it is also a means of moving your heart toward God's generosity in a never-ending journey, expanding your heart to hold all the blessing of a closer walk with God.
2. God Gave First
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son… - John 3:16
God is the most generous of all givers. God's grace has blessed us with goods, skills, and opportunities to generate what we need in our lives and a rich and wonderful world in which to live out His calling. God gave at a level beyond anything we can fully comprehend, He gave His Son, whose life bought our salvation
God's giving to us is like the filling of a cup, and our giving to others reveals the cup running over. In the context of our own blessings and gratefulness, we learn to be generous givers. We didn't earn it; we never will. God's gift was the highest demonstration of unconditional generosity:
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:8
3. God Owns It All
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. - Psalm 24:1
A money manager administers assets for the benefit of the owner, but is always aware that the funds he or she handles are not his own. With all the attention you place on managing our money, how does my perspective change when I come to understand that it is not my money, my wealth, my possessions, or my assets, but instead, that it all belongs to God? We are God's money managers. The wealth of the earth and all its resources are entrusted to us, with the privilege to be stewards of its wise use. Our money is never ours to spend as we choose; our money is God's to spend as He directs.
4. We Are To Seek First The Kingdom Of God
But seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well. - Matthew 6:33
Jesus assures us that we do not have to worry about our earthly life because God has promised always to take care of us. And with earthly matters in God's control, we are free to pursue more spiritual matters, seeking first and above all else, God's kingdom and His righteousness through spiritual intimacy. Intimacy with Christ offers the highest levels of satisfaction both right now and for eternity.
5. Heaven, Not Earth, Is My Home
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. - Philippians 3:20
Life is short. Eternity is long. And my home is in heaven, where I will spend eternity. This simple yet radical thinking begs an important question: Why should I invest a large amount of time, energy, and resources in what is short? Why should I focus on my (or even my children's) very temporary life here on earth, when heaven is real and coming and calling?
It isn't wrong for us to spend money on things that are temporary. However, if we have an eternal perspective and understand that heaven, not earth, is our real home, then we know that we can store up treasures in heaven where we (and those reached with the gospel) can experience them for eternity. A life of generosity—for all who know Christ—means the opportunity to draw closer to God, now, and in eternity. It means joy, a fulfilled heart, and the potential to store up treasures in heaven.
6. Giving Brings Joy
… remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive. - Acts 20:35
Our life becomes joyful, fulfilling, and purposeful as we live in God's calling. Joy is experienced in the act of giving, but even more so in the alignment of your heart with God's will. As generosity comes into your heart, it blesses you in ways you know in the moment, in ways you recognize over a lifetime, and in ways that are revealed to you only in eternity. Generosity enables you to live in the joy of a "life that is truly life."
"In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
- 1 Timothy 6:19
Faith & Finance Perspective:
How deeply do these core beliefs resonate with you? Is giving an issue of the heart for you, or something you do out of obligation or Christian duty? Is your giving compelled by God’s extravagant gift of salvation to you and an earnest desire to see that gift extended to others? Do you believe that Heaven is your true home? Does giving toward the fulfillment of His plans and purposes on earth as it is in heaven bring you true joy?
Don’t be discouraged if you can’t check all six of these belief boxes. We’re all on a lifelong journey to align our hearts with His. Just keep inviting and allowing His Spirit to do His work in His time, being confident that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:23