Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them (Matthew 25:14).

From the earliest stages of life there is something in us that loves to say “Mine!” and to insist, “I did it!” Many never grow out of that mindset. Selfish, acquisitive, greedy, insatiable . . . we’ve all known people who spent a life-time staking their claim, placing their brand, asserting their ownership.

The culture in which we live reinforces that grasping attitude. It rewards it. In a thousand ways—subtle and not so—it teaches us that the one who dies with the most toys wins. Don’t think for a moment that Christians aren’t affected by this. Don’t imagine that we are immune to the messages of culture about having and holding.

But Christians, of all people, must recognize that the Lordship of Jesus changes the way we view everything—even money. Yes, the Bible asserts the right of private property. Yes, it teaches that hard work should be rewarded with fair wages. And yes, the Bible supports the notion of ownership. (Remember Peter’s rebuke of Ananias? “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?” Acts 5:4.)

The Bible also emphasizes, however, that material resources are to be regarded as blessings rather than profits, gifts instead of wages, assets entrusted rather than assets earned. A biblical view of “stuff” always takes God into account and places our efforts in the wider context of God’s grace.

A Peculiar Perspective

That is the foundational idea behind stewardship: “the responsibility to take care of something one does not own.” It saddens me that we have cheapened this word by using it only when talking about tithing or bludgeoning people to fund capital campaigns. Stewardship is about more than giving. It is an attitude toward all we possess, a belief about how we came to possess, an understanding of what we do with possessions.

Christians believe in the work ethic, private property, and right of ownership. But they are ever conscious of a God who tempers those beliefs by whispering humbling questions. “Did you earn the time you used to make that money? Did you earn the stomach that turns food into energy? Did you earn the abilities and proclivities that fuel profitable work? Did you earn the health and vitality that enable you to work? Did you earn your intelligence and creativity? Did you earn the economic system, the place and time and opportunities into which you were born?”

These questions foster distinctive attitudes toward our possessions, our rights, and our responsibilities. They force us to recognize how much we owe our Father, how dependent we are on his bounty, how involved he is in our lives. They force us to acknowledge that what we have is a trust. We manage resources that do not belong to us in any absolute way. We farm a field our Father owns. We have oversight of money he has placed in our hands.

The notion of stewardship creates in Christians a different perspective: an attitude of gratitude, an aura of responsibility, a sense that our resources are meant to serve God’s purposes. And that perspective is distinct from the world. Instead of “Mine!” this mindset leads us to think of our Father and his provision. Instead of “I did it!” we are called to reflect on what God has done for us. And instead of “building bigger barns,” stewardship makes us consider how God would want us to invest his resources in order to expand his kingdom.

Managers, Not Owners

God understands that we need to live out of the resources he gives us. He knows our needs and is eager to provide for them. He does not call us to live pinched, stingy lives. As our Father, he delights in giving us gifts to enjoy and blessings to savor. But he doesn’t want us to imagine that we are owners rather than stewards. He doesn’t want us to forget that he gives his gifts for a reason. He doesn’t want us to assume that what we have is ours to do with as we determine, according to our values and priorities, to suit our purposes.

God has given us every dollar, dime, and nickel. He is deeply interested in what we do with his gifts. He is waiting for our hearts to be revealed and our true values to surface.

When it comes to the subject of money, many Christians are caught running after the same things as pagans. It’s time to take our distinctiveness seriously. It’s time to swim against the current of our culture. And nothing would demonstrate our commitment more radically that adopting the attitude that we do not own; we merely manage. |L

Dr. Tim Woodroof is senior minister of Otter Creek Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee.

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 8, 2009 - Why I believe in God
October 25, 2009 - Commuting in days of evil
October 11, 2009 - Poets and don’t know it
September 27, 2009 - How Hollywood proves abortion is wrong
September 13, 2009 - Significance
August 30, 2009 - Dance alternatives
August 16, 2009 - Gluttons for gossip
August 2, 2009 - Truth from Twilight
July 19, 2009 - Visitor-friendly churches
July 5, 2009 - The Shack
June 21, 2009 - When forgiveness fails
June 7, 2009 - Re-imagining Education (Part Six)
May 24, 2009 - We are not alone
May 3, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part five)
April 26, 2009 - Conviction
April 12, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part four)
March 29, 2009 - An evangelistic proposal
March 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part three)
March 1, 2009 - He makes me sick
February 15, 2009 - Re-imagining education (Part Two)
February 1, 2009 - Spiritual insecurity
January 18, 2009 - Re-imagining education (part one)
January 4, 2009 - Church and politics
December 21, 2008 - Heaven’s music
December 7, 2008 - The church and marriage
November 23, 2008 - God and the president
November 9, 2008 - A time for courage
October 26, 2008 - Likes and dislikes: the Prince Caspian movie
October 12, 2008 - What’s that noise?
September 28, 2008 - Modesty matters (part two)
September 14, 2008 - All it takes is some TLC
August 31, 2008 - Modesty matters (part one)
August 17, 2008 - What would you fight for?
August 3, 2008 - Staying through the credits
July 20, 2008 - Honor to whom honor
July 6, 2008 - Tyler Perry and the movies you’re missing
June 22, 2008 - The peaceable kingdom
May 25, 2008 - Another generation grew up
May 25, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part two)
May 11, 2008 - Technology and the Bible (part one)
April 27, 2008 - What is truth?
April 13, 2008 - And the geek shall inherit the earth
March 30, 2008 - A charactered God
March 16, 2008 - The college choice (part two)
March 2, 2008 - Good news can be hard to hear
February 17, 2008 - The college choice (part one)
February 5, 2008 - Ten suggestions for a godly standard of living
January 20, 2008 - Expelled: that “Bueller” guy’s pro-God movie
January 6, 2008 - Choosing a lifestyle
December 23, 2007 - Teachable TV?
November 25, 2007 - Christians teaching Christians to change TV and film
November 11, 2007 - My money is God’s business
October 28, 2007 - Navigating under the radar
October 14, 2007 - The things God values
September 30, 2007 - Movie moments
September 16, 2007 - God’s economics
September 2, 2007 - The best books to read
August 19, 2007 - There’s a rat in ‘separate’
August 5, 2007 - The art of reading
July 22, 2007 - Atheist chic
July 8, 2007 - Why books matter: the sequel
June 10, 2007 - Books: why they matter
June 3, 2007 - The non-impact of “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”
May 27, 2007 - The universal gospel
May 13, 2007 - Loving Muslims through culture
April 29, 2007 - Hope
April 15, 2007 - God in the dark
April 1, 2007 - The gospel goes to the movies
March 18, 2007 - What the Bible movies can teach us
March 4, 2007 - What will you hurt for?
February 18, 2007 - Why Heroes . . .
February 4, 2007 - Give peace a chance
January 21, 2007 - When fairy tales are true
January 7, 2007 - WYSIWYG lives
December 31, 2006 - What’s coming next?
December 17, 2006 - Mercy, mercy
December 3, 2006 - Proof of evolution!
November 19, 2006 - Hungering for God
November 5, 2006 - Violence and government, war and peace
October 22, 2006 - The mighty meek
October 8, 2006 - The Battlestar and the Bible
September 24, 2006 - Soap for the soul
September 10, 2006 - Right vs. cool
August 27, 2006 - The painful truth
August 13, 2006 - More Lies Hollywood Tells
July 30, 2006 - Christian counter culture
July 16, 2006 - The lies Hollywood tells