Sermon Central
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Training Camp Series
Contributed by Larry Pozza on Feb 10, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Stewardship is an act of discipleship that takes training
Training Camp
“And they were continually devoting themselves” Acts 2:42
Just as an athlete needs to get into shape to compete, so a steward of God’s resources needs training. The first exercise is to stretch.
Stewardship involves stretching. Since stewardship is an oft neglected topic, the stretching exercises will often leave the player a little stiff and sore. It is then easy to give up on the concept before seeing the benefits.
Stewardship is much more than finances. It is well rounded fitness. It is getting into game day shape. Yet finances are like the love handles that need extra exercise.
A modern equivalent of a steward is something like a manager. Like the coach of a team, a steward is both a manager given the latitude to make far reaching daily decisions and also a player who seeks to acts out the principles of the game. Like a coach, a steward acts on behalf of someone else – representing the interests of the owner.
An overview of the Scriptures provides an insight into God’s principles concerning money. Did you know that there are fewer than 500 verses in the Bible about faith, but more than 2,350 verses about how to handle money? The Lord knew that much of our time would revolve around the use of money: making it, spending it, giving it, budgeting it, saving it, and investing it. Financial decisions consume a lot of our time, that’s why God gave us so many scriptures about the use of money. The Bible not only instructs us about giving, but instructs us about 100% of our finances.
Take a few minutes and reflect on your upbringing. How would you summarize the story of your family’s life concerning money and possessions as you were growing up?
What kind of training in money management, if any, did your parents give you and what impact did it have?
Summarize the money-management principles found in Proverbs 6:6-11 and Proverbs 27:23-27.
Now summarize Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:25-34.
How do you resolve the differences between these apparently conflicting commands of Scripture?
