Scripture Text: Matthew 25:14-30
Memory Verse: “And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30
Lesson Aim: To emphasize the importance and impact stewardship has on our lives.
Key Points
- All that we have really belongs to God.
- We can be good stewards only by God’s grace.
- Co-labor with God… make the most of what God has entrusted to us.
When we mention stewardship, the majority of the time, we immediately think about money. However, stewardship also covers other aspects of our lives; for example, our families, our relationships with God and others, our talents, gifts, and abilities. God has entrusted all these and more to us. The concept of stewardship is important to how we live and our view of life.
The World Book Dictionary defines a steward as, “A man who manages another’s property.”[1] The universe is God’s property. In Genesis, God appointed Adam steward of His property. Adam was given dominion over the earth and God put him in the Garden of Eden to dress and keep it. We show up many generations later and as people of God, it is important that we recognize that all that we have still belongs to God. God has entrusted each of us with a life, a body, health, family, finances, talents, gifts, abilities, and spiritual things.
Value is a vital concept to understanding stewardship. The things that we appreciate are the things we value. The Word of God explains that where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also (Matthew 6:21). We will take care of what we appreciate. Unfortunately, we take much of God’s goodness and His gifts for granted. However, God expects us to value what He has entrusted to us. God expects increase. This is true of the natural as well as the spiritual. He does not appreciate waste and misuse, whether it is our bodies and minds, spiritual gifts, or monetary wealth.
Many of God’s gifts are a result of His sovereign move. However, we can be good stewards only by God’s grace, but it requires conscious effort on our part. We have to co-labor with God to make the best use and get the most value out of what He has entrusted to us. We only have one earthly life to live. What are we doing with it? Are we living differently than the world? Are we making the most of what God has given us to expand His Kingdom or are we content to simply exist, or pursue our selfish interests?
Each of us needs to step back and examine the way we think, talk, and live in the context of good stewardship. How do we view our lives, our assignments, and our roles as members of the Body of Christ? Do we value the simple but powerful blessings and promises of God? Do we treasure them enough to believe? Are we willing to give up God’s possessions for His purposes or are we so attached to His things that we think, talk, and act as if they were ours? These are some questions we need to ask ourselves as we consider our responsibilities as God’s stewards and take on the challenge to live differently.
[1] Barnhart, Clarence L. The Work Book Dictionary. Chicago: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation, 1972. p. 2035
Questions and Discussion
- What is involved in being a good steward? Matthew 25:15, 20-23; Luke 12:42-43
- Why is it important that we understand stewardship and our duty to be good stewards? Matthew 25:14-15, 19-26, 30; Luke 12:48; Luke 13:6-9
- What do these verses tell us about ourselves and our possessions? Psalm 100:3; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Psalm 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8
- How are we called to be good stewards in terms of our relationship with God? 1 Peter 2:9-10; Romans 12:1-2; Job 23:12; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Peter 4:10
- How are we called to be good stewards in terms of our relationships in the Body of Christ? Romans 12:10; Ephesians 4:11-13; Hebrews 13:17
- What are some of the other things that we need to be good stewards of? Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28
- How will being a good steward cause us to live differently?