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Stewardship - Luke 16:1-13 Luke 16:1-13 (KJV) “And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? Give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? For my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. 10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Vs. 9 warns against putting your trust in money. When it fails, don’t expect it to save you. It does not matter to God whether you have a lot of money or a little. Are you faithful with what you have? Money will inevitably fail you. Are you faithful with what you have? The Bible is clear that we are to store up wisely without succumbing to selfish hoarding. If you can’t trust God with your money, then you can’t trust God with your whole life. Why do we protect our money? Because it is the story of our life. Find out how a person spends his money and you will know all you need to know about him. God does not need your money to accomplish His will and purposes, but He does need it to prove Himself to you. Those God can trust financially will be the ones in whom He will place money when economic trouble hits. Those who are competent stewards will be given more (10 talents and 5 talents). If we are faithful in the small things, He will give us greater things. Every time you begin to get more money, the enemy comes immediately to change your focus. It is a subtle deception, but a dangerous one. You begin to back away from your stewardship of what God gives, and your soul is in danger. Vs. 11 “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” – Do you want true riches? God is talking about “spiritual authority.” There is a parallel between how you spend your money and the degree of spiritual authority you have. It is not based on a “When I get more I will give more” attitude. It is based on a “now” attitude. Will you give what you have now? When you give yourself over to the covering of the local church, you are expected to support that church so that the gospel can go forth, so that there will be bread in the house, and so that God can bless you and protect you and your household. It is time to check your focus. Are you more concerned about your own comfort than you are for the needs of others? If you are, repent and ask God to help you see mammon as He sees it, as a means to further His kingdom. We are called to serve. God does not want to lavish you with riches to use on yourself. He wants to bless and empower you to reach the lost. He wants to give you resources to share as He directs. Stewardship is not about money. It’s about being found faithful in the least so God can entrust you with His authority and power. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Why don’t you take a look at Malachi 3 and 4 again. These chapters are speaking about those who do not fear the Lord, those who rob the Lord, and those whose actions don’t match their words. By becoming godly stewards, righteous discernment and godly living will be restored; healing will come to you and your household; the wicked will be under your feet, and other blessings will befall you when you don’t even expect them. Don’t wait on the government to provide for you. The Lord wants to bless you even now. Be a faithful steward. -Pr. Steve March Newsletter 2001 | Stewardship | Mind Your Own Business - part 2 of 2 Pastor's Journal March 2000 | Think About It | Inside-Out & Upside-Down - part 3 of 3
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Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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