How to be a Good Steward

by Becky Melendez

What does God want from me where finances are concerned?

1. He wants you to work.

2. He wants you to tithe (return 10% of what He has blessed you with to Him).

3. He wants you to take good care of your family.

4. He wants you to give offerings to those in need.

5. He wants you to be a good steward of what He’s given you.

He wants you to work.

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “ of every tree of the garden you may freely eat.” Genesis 2:15-16 God was saying to Adam: “You can have the fruit of this garden I have given you but first you have to work the garden by tending and keeping it. One of the first things God told man to do was WORK. One of the worst things you can do is spend lots of time setting around doing nothing. Work should be a way of life. The Lord, and not your job is your true source of supply, although a job is usually how your supply comes. Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

If you are temporarily out of a job you can volunteer your time, work on your house, or teach yourself or your children a new skill, just find something to do. If you are disabled you can knit, write a book, spend hours in prayer and in the study of God’s word. Do something.
 

He wants you to tithe.

Tithing is returning to Him 10% of what He has blessed you with. Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the Lord of hosts. And all the nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land, Says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:8-12 You may eventually lose what you have now if you don’t tithe because the devil will devour it. God is looking for faithful stewards, people He can entrust with fortunes and wealth, knowing they will distribute it wherever He tells them to. If you are not currently tithing or if you don’t think you can afford to tithe (the truth is you can’t afford not to), don’t feel condemned, start giving a little more than you are now. As you give more, God will bless you with more, which will build up your faith. The more you give the more you will get to give and on and on and on. The Lord, and not your job is your true source of supply, although a job is usually how your supply comes. Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
 

He wants you to take good care of your family.

God wants you to meet the needs of your family. But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (or infidel). 1st Timothy 5:8
 

He wants you to give offerings to those in need.

God’s will is for us to have plenty for ourselves and still have something to give others who are In need. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Ephesians 4:28 Also see Pro. 19:17 & 22:9.

He want you to be a good steward.

God is the true owner of all we have. “For the world is Mine, and all it’s fullness.” Psalm 50:12b How you manage the financial resources you have today will determine to a great extent how richly God can prosper you tomorrow. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (How do you care for things you rent or borrow?) No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Luke 16:10-13 NIV Sometimes people read this passage of scripture and think God doesn’t want them to have money, but the truth is God wants us to be financially blessed so money can serve us. We’re simply not to serve it as our master. Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Psalm 35:27b

Many people make the mistake of spending carelessly instead of planning in advance. As a result, much of what they have is wasted and they don’t enjoy the benefits they would have reaped from giving or from spending wisely which God intended. God isn’t going to put great amounts of riches into your hands if you spend foolishly. He isn’t going to dramatically increase your income if you can’t keep track of the amount of money you now have. You need to budget your money. You may already have a budget plan that works well for you. If not, ask the Lord to help you set up a budget. If you see on your monthly budget that you need more than what income you have coming in then you can start remedying that now by spending less and sowing seed and believing that God will bless you with harvest. The extra money you need may come from an extra job or smart idea.