What's The Study About?
Practical Stewardship Download
Dive deep into a transformative study that reshapes your understanding of wealth, giving, and stewardship through a biblical lens.
This 6-part series is not just about managing finances; it’s about aligning your life with God’s purpose and finding true contentment in His provision.
6 Lessons on Biblical Stewardship for only
Session Overview
Leader
Am I Offering My Best to God?
Our very best is just that, ours. It is not someone else’s very best, but our very best. Our very best is not about the amount or the talent. It is about the heart of the one who is giving it. Someone else may be better engineer, a better line worker, a better housekeeper, and the list could go on and on. God is not concerned with what others are offering Him, He wants us to give our very best. When we do so, then He looks upon us and our offering with favor.
Managing Money and More
The steward is the manager, never the owner. God is the owner of everything, and we are to be His faithful stewards. Stewardship is more than learning to balance our bank accounts. We are also called to steward our relationship with God along with the blessings He gives us. The great thing is that He articulates how this is to be done in this passage.
How much is enough?
Many people have asked the question “How much is enough?” True contentment will not be found in the accumulation of more possessions. The answer to contentment is found in relationship with Jesus. If we pursue material gain, we will find ourselves experiencing many griefs. If we pursue the things of God, we will experience great gain and this is much more than financial gain.
Stewarding What We Have
The steward is the manager, never the owner. God is the owner of everything, and we are to be His faithful stewards. Stewardship is more than learning to balance our bank accounts. We are also called to steward our relationship with God along with the blessings He gives us. The great thing is that He articulates how this is to be done in this passage.
Stewarding the Talents Entrusted to Us
Three servants heard the same message and received talents based on theirown abilities. Two of the servants responded in immediate and faithful obedience. Upon the return ofthe Master, both received praise and an invitation to share in the joy of their Master. The third servant,however, responded in irrational fear to the Master and did nothing. The result of this servant’s inactionwas eternal separation. This lesson shows that the talent can not only be financial blessing, but also thegospel message itself.
Handling Our God-Given Treasure
Our treasure and our hearts are connected. If we log into our bank accounts,we will be able to see the connection. Jesus commanded His followers to not store up treasure on earthas it is temporary. Instead, we are to store up treasure in heaven as this is eternal. It all begins, however,by making sure that we have personally submitted our hearts and lives to Him as Lord and Savior.
Session Overview
Learner
Am I Offering My Best to God?
God desires that we worship Him, and approach Him in worship witha proper reverence and inclination of our heart. Just as He weighed the heart and the motivation ofCain and Abel when they brought sacrifices to Him during a time of worship, God evaluates our heartsand lives today. He desires that His people live in a way that reflects our gratitude for His grace, and arealization that He is worthy of us offering Him our best, both in worship and in life
Managing Money and More
A steward is a manager, not an owner. God is the owner of everything, and the items in our possession belong to Him. When we come to understand that He is the owner, we begin to understand the serious nature of being wise managers. We often believe that managing (stewarding)is primarily focused on how we spend the money we have. This passage, however, shows us that we are to manage more than just our financial resources. God calls us to manage a variety of things under our control – things that ultimately belong to Him
How Much Is Enough?
The love of money and the pursuit of material gain has proved costly to many people. It has cost some people their families as they have chosen to work too many hours, leading to the neglect of people they love. It has cost others their freedom as they embraced illegal tactics that they knew were wrong, thinking they would not get caught. Scripture teaches us that the answer to the question of “How much is enough?” is found not in pursuing and gaining more possessions, but rather the pursuit of contentment in what the Lord has provided.
Stewarding What We Have
If we have food, clothing and shelter, then we should consider ourselves wealthy. Randy Alcorn, in his book Money, Possessions and Eternity, stated that if someone has sufficient food, decent clothes, live in a house or apartment, and have a reasonably reliable means of transportation, they are in the top 15% of the world’s wealthiest people. Based on these standards, most of us would be considered wealthy. We must learn how to steward our money, possessions, time, and talents
Stewarding the Talents Entrusted to Us
God gives many blessings to His people today, and He expects them to be used for His glory. Some of those blessings are spiritual in nature and are called spiritual gifts. They are special manifestations of God’s grace in a believer’s life and are given after a person becomes a Christian; every believer has at least one spiritual gift. These spiritual gifts are not to be confused with natural talents and abilities we possess and develop over time. Perhaps you know someone who has practiced a sport or developed a skill from an early age. They have spent a long time honing their abilities, but those talents were not given to them as spiritual gifts. They can, however, be used to bring glory to God, just like spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts plus our own talents and abilities are to be managed in such a way that they bring honor to Jesus – we should not waste either kind. In today’s Bible passage, Jesus affirmed two people who used their talents wisely (the word talent in the first century was another term for money).A third person who managed his master’s money poorly was criticized for not making the most of what had been entrusted to him. The expectations of good stewardship (a biblical term for managing) taught in this parable are still viable expectations for us today. God expects us to use whatever He gives us in a wise, godly way that points people to Jesus
Handling Our God-Given Treasure
We all tend to plan ahead. We want to enjoy a meal with our friends, so we plan to leave work early or on time. We want to enjoy time away with our family, so we save a little from each paycheck to put towards a summer vacation. We want to retire in our late sixties, so we set up a 401(k) plan. Jesus taught His followers that they can store up treasure in heaven while they enjoy the blessings, He gives us today. Jesus’s plan tells us what to do, what not to do, and the reasons why.