Whenever we say, “my this” or “my that,” we reflect a godless, worldly view of wealth & possessions—the view that what I have is mine. In reality, the opposite is true: Everything belongs to GOD, & we are only stewards (temporary managers) of it on His behalf. Christian Stewardship regards the obligation of Christians to manage, use, & honor GOD with the temporal & spiritual gifts He has entrusted to us. And while stewardship includes everything we possess, I want to deal specifically with financial stewardship the next two weeks because wealth poses a great problem for people. GOD knows this & thus deals with the subject of money extensively in His Word. For example, the Bible contains around 500 verses on prayer, fewer than 500 verses on faith, & more than 2,000 verses on money & possessions. The reason for this emphasis in Scripture is that GOD created us & He therefore understands the fundamental connection between our spiritual lives & how we think about & handle money. Our use of & attitude towards money is an indicator of our spiritual health. Whether we realize it or not, our giving is literally an external manifestation of our internal condition.
