What is Biblical Stewardship?
Stewardship is an essential teaching in the Kingdom of God. All of life is a stewardship because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).
When Israel moved into the Promised Land, their primary task was stewardship. To steward means to “conduct, supervise, or manage” something “entrusted to one’s care.”
Stewardship is practical. There were geographic responsibilities that God’s people assumed when they became the caretakers of the Promised Land. God desired the rest of the land to be conquered (Judges 1:1-2) and the fullness of the promises to be fulfilled (Joshua 13:2).
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” (Judges 1:1-2)
Stewardship is also spiritual. It was the responsibility of Israel to pass down the law of God to the next generation (Joshua 24:24). Sadly, the book of Judges demonstrates that Israel eventually did not steward God’s blessing as He desired. Eventually, a generation was born that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).
And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. (Joshua 24:24)
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)
What happened? Israel needed to develop a stewardship mindset.
Life is a Stewardship
Stewardship is an essential teaching in the Kingdom of God. All of life is a stewardship because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).
Below is an important parable Jesus spoke to us about stewardship. Notice God's expectations. His expectation is that when He entrusts us with something, we multiply it. The call to multiply speaks to our finances, spiritual gifts, talents, relationships, and influence as God’s people.
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”
His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.” For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 25:14-30)
The lesson of the parable is that God expects multiplication. We do not have a call to simply maintain the blessings of God from one generation to the next — we have a call to expand and grow. This calling speaks to the original purpose of mankind that God revealed in Genesis Chapter 1:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)
God defines stewardship by multiplication — and calls us to be multipliers.
Money and Stewardship
Some people may wonder why Jesus taught so much about money, especially in regards to stewardship. The Bible views money as the training wheels of the stewardship mindset. Through our finances, we learn to rely on God and invest in God’s Kingdom through generosity and multiplication.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:11)
In short, stewardship teachings are not about getting rich or getting the church more money: they are about increasing faithfulness. Faithfulness, and the desire to multiply, are how we extend the blessings God has given us to others.
How to Be a Multiplier
Once we have walked into God's promises, we become responsible for multiplying what God has given us. Notice the words of the master in the parable, “whoever has will be given more, and they will have in abundance.” When we steward God’s blessings well, God entrusts us with more. This is a principle of the Kingdom.
Multiplication in God’s Kingdom requires risk, generosity, and capacity.
- Risk - The successful stewards in the above parable took a large risk by multiplying their talents. When we’ve worked so hard for something, it can be hard to put it at risk. Faith, however, is required to multiply.
- Generosity - The miracles of multiplication in the Bible (oil, fish, loaves, etc.) all happened in an atmosphere of generosity. God loves to help us multiply when we are generous to others. The Bible even promises that God will supply “seed to the sower” who is financially generous (2 Corinthians 9:10).
- Capacity - In terms of stewardship, God seems to respect our capacity. He gave different talents to different people in the above parable. If you want to increase your ability to impact others, focus on increasing your management capacity. Increased capacity allows God to bless you more abundantly and at an amount you can properly multiply.
Once we have walked into our Promised Land, we are to enjoy God's blessing. Part of our stewardship also becomes multiplying what God has given us to impact the lives of others!
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Kendall Laughlin Jr. is a pastor, author, and coach to leaders. More resources from Kendall are available at kaljr.com.
When Israel moved into the Promised Land, their primary task was stewardship. To steward means to “conduct, supervise, or manage” something “entrusted to one’s care.”
Stewardship is practical. There were geographic responsibilities that God’s people assumed when they became the caretakers of the Promised Land. God desired the rest of the land to be conquered (Judges 1:1-2) and the fullness of the promises to be fulfilled (Joshua 13:2).
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” (Judges 1:1-2)
Stewardship is also spiritual. It was the responsibility of Israel to pass down the law of God to the next generation (Joshua 24:24). Sadly, the book of Judges demonstrates that Israel eventually did not steward God’s blessing as He desired. Eventually, a generation was born that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).
And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. (Joshua 24:24)
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)
What happened? Israel needed to develop a stewardship mindset.
Life is a Stewardship
Stewardship is an essential teaching in the Kingdom of God. All of life is a stewardship because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).
Below is an important parable Jesus spoke to us about stewardship. Notice God's expectations. His expectation is that when He entrusts us with something, we multiply it. The call to multiply speaks to our finances, spiritual gifts, talents, relationships, and influence as God’s people.
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”
His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.” For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 25:14-30)
The lesson of the parable is that God expects multiplication. We do not have a call to simply maintain the blessings of God from one generation to the next — we have a call to expand and grow. This calling speaks to the original purpose of mankind that God revealed in Genesis Chapter 1:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)
God defines stewardship by multiplication — and calls us to be multipliers.
Money and Stewardship
Some people may wonder why Jesus taught so much about money, especially in regards to stewardship. The Bible views money as the training wheels of the stewardship mindset. Through our finances, we learn to rely on God and invest in God’s Kingdom through generosity and multiplication.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:11)
In short, stewardship teachings are not about getting rich or getting the church more money: they are about increasing faithfulness. Faithfulness, and the desire to multiply, are how we extend the blessings God has given us to others.
How to Be a Multiplier
Once we have walked into God's promises, we become responsible for multiplying what God has given us. Notice the words of the master in the parable, “whoever has will be given more, and they will have in abundance.” When we steward God’s blessings well, God entrusts us with more. This is a principle of the Kingdom.
Multiplication in God’s Kingdom requires risk, generosity, and capacity.
- Risk - The successful stewards in the above parable took a large risk by multiplying their talents. When we’ve worked so hard for something, it can be hard to put it at risk. Faith, however, is required to multiply.
- Generosity - The miracles of multiplication in the Bible (oil, fish, loaves, etc.) all happened in an atmosphere of generosity. God loves to help us multiply when we are generous to others. The Bible even promises that God will supply “seed to the sower” who is financially generous (2 Corinthians 9:10).
- Capacity - In terms of stewardship, God seems to respect our capacity. He gave different talents to different people in the above parable. If you want to increase your ability to impact others, focus on increasing your management capacity. Increased capacity allows God to bless you more abundantly and at an amount you can properly multiply.
Once we have walked into our Promised Land, we are to enjoy God's blessing. Part of our stewardship also becomes multiplying what God has given us to impact the lives of others!
podcast transcript
Kendall Laughlin Jr. is a pastor, author, and coach to leaders. More resources from Kendall are available at kaljr.com.
When Israel moved into the Promised Land, their primary task was stewardship. To steward means to “conduct, supervise, or manage” something “entrusted to one’s care.”
Stewardship is practical. There were geographic responsibilities that God’s people assumed when they became the caretakers of the Promised Land. God desired the rest of the land to be conquered (Judges 1:1-2) and the fullness of the promises to be fulfilled (Joshua 13:2).
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” (Judges 1:1-2)
Stewardship is also spiritual. It was the responsibility of Israel to pass down the law of God to the next generation (Joshua 24:24). Sadly, the book of Judges demonstrates that Israel eventually did not steward God’s blessing as He desired. Eventually, a generation was born that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).
And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. (Joshua 24:24)
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)
What happened? Israel needed to develop a stewardship mindset.
Life is a Stewardship
Stewardship is an essential teaching in the Kingdom of God. All of life is a stewardship because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).
Below is an important parable Jesus spoke to us about stewardship. Notice God's expectations. His expectation is that when He entrusts us with something, we multiply it. The call to multiply speaks to our finances, spiritual gifts, talents, relationships, and influence as God’s people.
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”
His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.” For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 25:14-30)
The lesson of the parable is that God expects multiplication. We do not have a call to simply maintain the blessings of God from one generation to the next — we have a call to expand and grow. This calling speaks to the original purpose of mankind that God revealed in Genesis Chapter 1:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)
God defines stewardship by multiplication — and calls us to be multipliers.
Money and Stewardship
Some people may wonder why Jesus taught so much about money, especially in regards to stewardship. The Bible views money as the training wheels of the stewardship mindset. Through our finances, we learn to rely on God and invest in God’s Kingdom through generosity and multiplication.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:11)
In short, stewardship teachings are not about getting rich or getting the church more money: they are about increasing faithfulness. Faithfulness, and the desire to multiply, are how we extend the blessings God has given us to others.
How to Be a Multiplier
Once we have walked into God's promises, we become responsible for multiplying what God has given us. Notice the words of the master in the parable, “whoever has will be given more, and they will have in abundance.” When we steward God’s blessings well, God entrusts us with more. This is a principle of the Kingdom.
Multiplication in God’s Kingdom requires risk, generosity, and capacity.
- Risk - The successful stewards in the above parable took a large risk by multiplying their talents. When we’ve worked so hard for something, it can be hard to put it at risk. Faith, however, is required to multiply.
- Generosity - The miracles of multiplication in the Bible (oil, fish, loaves, etc.) all happened in an atmosphere of generosity. God loves to help us multiply when we are generous to others. The Bible even promises that God will supply “seed to the sower” who is financially generous (2 Corinthians 9:10).
- Capacity - In terms of stewardship, God seems to respect our capacity. He gave different talents to different people in the above parable. If you want to increase your ability to impact others, focus on increasing your management capacity. Increased capacity allows God to bless you more abundantly and at an amount you can properly multiply.
Once we have walked into our Promised Land, we are to enjoy God's blessing. Part of our stewardship also becomes multiplying what God has given us to impact the lives of others!
VIDEO transcript
When Israel moved into the Promised Land, their primary task was stewardship. To steward means to “conduct, supervise, or manage” something “entrusted to one’s care.”
Stewardship is practical. There were geographic responsibilities that God’s people assumed when they became the caretakers of the Promised Land. God desired the rest of the land to be conquered (Judges 1:1-2) and the fullness of the promises to be fulfilled (Joshua 13:2).
After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?” The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up; I have given the land into their hands.” (Judges 1:1-2)
Stewardship is also spiritual. It was the responsibility of Israel to pass down the law of God to the next generation (Joshua 24:24). Sadly, the book of Judges demonstrates that Israel eventually did not steward God’s blessing as He desired. Eventually, a generation was born that did not know the Lord (Judges 2:10).
And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey. (Joshua 24:24)
And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. (Judges 2:10)
What happened? Israel needed to develop a stewardship mindset.
Life is a Stewardship
Stewardship is an essential teaching in the Kingdom of God. All of life is a stewardship because “The earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1).
Below is an important parable Jesus spoke to us about stewardship. Notice God's expectations. His expectation is that when He entrusts us with something, we multiply it. The call to multiply speaks to our finances, spiritual gifts, talents, relationships, and influence as God’s people.
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.”
His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”
His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags.” For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(Matthew 25:14-30)
The lesson of the parable is that God expects multiplication. We do not have a call to simply maintain the blessings of God from one generation to the next — we have a call to expand and grow. This calling speaks to the original purpose of mankind that God revealed in Genesis Chapter 1:
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:28)
God defines stewardship by multiplication — and calls us to be multipliers.
Money and Stewardship
Some people may wonder why Jesus taught so much about money, especially in regards to stewardship. The Bible views money as the training wheels of the stewardship mindset. Through our finances, we learn to rely on God and invest in God’s Kingdom through generosity and multiplication.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (Luke 16:11)
In short, stewardship teachings are not about getting rich or getting the church more money: they are about increasing faithfulness. Faithfulness, and the desire to multiply, are how we extend the blessings God has given us to others.
How to Be a Multiplier
Once we have walked into God's promises, we become responsible for multiplying what God has given us. Notice the words of the master in the parable, “whoever has will be given more, and they will have in abundance.” When we steward God’s blessings well, God entrusts us with more. This is a principle of the Kingdom.
Multiplication in God’s Kingdom requires risk, generosity, and capacity.
- Risk - The successful stewards in the above parable took a large risk by multiplying their talents. When we’ve worked so hard for something, it can be hard to put it at risk. Faith, however, is required to multiply.
- Generosity - The miracles of multiplication in the Bible (oil, fish, loaves, etc.) all happened in an atmosphere of generosity. God loves to help us multiply when we are generous to others. The Bible even promises that God will supply “seed to the sower” who is financially generous (2 Corinthians 9:10).
- Capacity - In terms of stewardship, God seems to respect our capacity. He gave different talents to different people in the above parable. If you want to increase your ability to impact others, focus on increasing your management capacity. Increased capacity allows God to bless you more abundantly and at an amount you can properly multiply.
Once we have walked into our Promised Land, we are to enjoy God's blessing. Part of our stewardship also becomes multiplying what God has given us to impact the lives of others!
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Kendall Laughlin Jr. is a pastor, author, and coach to leaders. More resources from Kendall are available at kaljr.com.
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