Stewardship is a Christian principle meaning that one doesn’t truly own what he owns, rather all we have is God’s, and we are tasked to take care of it. If we view our money through the Christian lens that it is not our own and we are tasked to manage it for God, then it makes perfect sense to ask: How do we manage God’s money?
I was talking to a mentor a while back, and I asked him what he thinks about tithing. He said, “God does not have the right to just 10% of your money (as many believe tithing to mean). He has the right to 100% of your money.” Amen. As Christ-following leaders, we must get to this level of freedom with regard to finances.
So when God gives us money, what do we do with it? How do we grow it? How do we give it? How do we take care of it? In short, however the Lord tells us to.
How much do we give into Kingdom purposes? That’s up to you and the Lord. It depends solely on your spiritual walk. Some say 10%, referencing an Old Testament commandment1, and others say 100% of it is God’s. My dad was a pastor, and he would tell the story of Mr. Kraft. Kraft Foods was founded by James L. Kraft in 1903. Before merging with the Heinz company in 2015, Kraft’s annual revenue was 18 billion per year. Early on, Mr. Kraft told the Lord he would give Him 90% of his profits. His is a faith journey.
Who do you give to? I aim to follow the example of Jesus’s life. As such, my money should follow that model as well. I see Jesus focused on two main works in His life: sharing the gospel (actually, He was the gospel) and performing works of compassion. Most often He did both at the same time. When I see ministers and people doing the same, I support them. For example, I recently connected with a wonderful man of God in Lebanon who has a ministry to share the gospel. As the current war in Lebanon has resulted in over one million refugees, his ministry is helping 400 of them. My wife Joanne and I are sending him a financial gift to help with his work. Why? Because his focus is both compassion work and gospel work.
It comes down to this: How should you be a steward of the money God entrusted to you? Regardless of the amount, I say give it all to Him, as you should your entire life and everything in it. Give it all to the Lord.
