The Most Important Stewardship Question

During the last week of 2017, a family reached out to me because they were in pain, living paycheck to paycheck and behind on their bills. They were making a little less than $100,000 a year.  

Another family reached out to me on the first day of 2018 as they were experiencing an incredible amount of pain and stress as a family.  They had too much credit card debt and were living paycheck to paycheck. And guess what they were earning? They were making more than $250,000 a year.

Sometimes, I hear people tell me that if they earned just a little more, they wouldn’t be in the mess they were in. However, the reality is, the problem is usually not in the amount of income we bring home.  I coach people who earn $500,000 a year who are still living paycheck to paycheck with more credit card and consumer debt than they can manage.

Why do people reach out to me?  Because they want to experience financial peace.  They want to learn to manage their finances better.  They want to learn to budget and learn to spend less than they make.  They want to sleep better at night and if married, they want to stop fighting with their spouse.  They want to plan for their future. 

These are good goals to have.     

Now most people who reach out to me are where they are because they have spent more than they earned year after year.  They purchased their dining, entertainment, and vacation experiences they really couldn’t afford.

They bought too much car, took out too much mortgage for their homes, and borrowed just too much for their education. 

And to be honest, just as it took a long time to get where they are, it will take a while to get their finances in order as they learn to think and live differently.  Learn to spend less than they make, get on a written budget, get out of debt, and learn to save for the future and retirement.

While I often work with people through their emergency financial situations, for Christ-followers, there is something foundational that needs to be addressed as the bleeding stops and practical financial wisdom is gained. 

If we don’t answer this question correctly, we will miss the whole point about biblical financial stewardship.  How do you answer this question, “Whose is it?”

Who owns the financial resources we are managing?

Scripture teaches us that all the wages we earn through work or any other increases we receive are the Lord’s.  God is the owner and God has entrusted you and me as Christ-followers to manage His treasures for His glory and approval.  God never transferred ownership to us but left us as stewards, temporary managers.

The Parable of the Talent (Matthew 25:14-30) is the second of the three parables Jesus taught about His second coming, teaching us to live with the readiness of His return.  In this parable, we are specifically taught to manage the master’s resources well for His approval upon His return.

If God were to evaluate us as His CFOs, managing His finances, would God be pleased with our management of His resources? 

In order for us to manage God’s finances God’s way, we need to know and remember again and again that everything belongs to God.  As we remember the truth that everything belongs to God, we seek to discern God’s heart and desire in the way we manage God’s treasurers. 

If everything belongs to God, then we will naturally seek to know the Owner’s wishes. 

Are you ready to get started?  Contact me at paul@jangfinancial.com if you want to help disciple your congregation as God-honoring stewards from a biblical perspective, or if you yourself want to grow as a steward seeking to practically manage the finances better to hear from our Lord upon his return, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.  Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21, 23) 

Questions to ponder: 

1.     Are you experiencing financial duress right now?  What sort of financial pain are you experiencing now? 

2.     As a Christ-follower, how does the way you manage the financial resources reflect the truth of God’s ownership of your finances?  How do you seek to discern God’s wishes in the way you manage?

Paul Jang

Pastor | Personal Financial Coach to Individuals & Financial Stewardship Ministry Consultant for Churches

www.jangfinancialcoaching.com