Made to Manage: Owner vs. Manager

The biblical doctrine of stewardship defines a person's relationship to God. It identifies God as owner and us as managers. God makes us His co-workers in administering every aspect of our lives.

God's Fellow Workers

The apostle Paul explains it best:

"For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building" (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Starting with this concept, we are able to accurately view and correctly value not only our possessions, but — more importantly — human life itself. Stewardship defines our purpose in this world as assigned to us by God Himself.

A Gift, Not a Burden

Stewardship is our divinely given opportunity to join with God in His worldwide and eternal redemptive movement:

"Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matthew 28:19-20).

Stewardship is not God taking something away from us. It is His method of bestowing His richest gifts upon His people. When we manage well what He has entrusted to us, we participate in something far bigger than our own bank account.

Reflect

Where in your life do you tend to act like an owner instead of a manager? What would it look like to hand that area back to God this week?