Steward

As stewards, disciples of Jesus manage God’s gifts for God’s purposes.

Grow in Stewardship

As followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are not our own; everything we are and everything we do now belongs to God. Everything in the created world already belongs to him anyway. Following Jesus involves recognizing God’s authority as creator of the universe, sovereign Lord, and king over all. At the same time, God graciously and generously entrusts his people with responsibilities and resources. He encourages us to be wise, faithful, and discerning managers with everything that he has given to us—which includes financial resources, material possessions, time, abilities, relationships, and opportunities. What we have is not our own. It belongs to God, and he expects his people to glorify him with how we steward whatever he has supplied—especially with regard to money and financial gifts. Disciples of Jesus manage God’s gifts for God’s purposes.

Daily Prayer

“God, we praise you as Lord over all. Everything in the universe belongs to you. Thank you for graciously providing us with so many good gifts. We acknowledge that all we have is yours, and our hands are open. Teach us how to better steward everything that you’ve entrusted to us—including financial resources—for your purposes and your glory.”

Embark on the journey.

Jesus frequently taught on money, and he told his followers: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21; Luke 12:34). Living and growing as a steward for God’s glory is not without its challenges. To better discern how God might want you to steward his resources, learn from our stewardship team by signing up for The Stewardship Digest.

Make a stewardship plan.

God also calls his people to steward and share their personal resources. After all, every personal resource currently in our possession ultimately belongs to God himself. The Bible teaches us that God has been overwhelmingly generous to his people. How might God be leading you to live generously in response? For more on how to steward our personal resources for God’s glory, consider meeting with one of our volunteer financial coaches to better assess what God has given to you or working through this personal budgeting tool on your own.

Take an inventory.

Our time and our energy are some of our most valuable resources. Where is God leading you to allocate your time and energy for his purposes and his glory? Set aside a few minutes to work through a time audit tool. Realizing how we currently spend our time and energy is the first step to better consider what changes we might need to make to better align our time and energy with disciple-making opportunities.

Read the Bible.

The Bible is God’s Word. It is the primary way God speaks to us. A daily habit of Bible reading enables us to worship God, commune with him, and obey his commands.

Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:10; Matthew 25:14–30, Matthew 28:18–20; and 2 Corinthians 9:6–15. See also Genesis 1:1–2:25; Proverbs 3:9–10; 1 Corinthians 4:1–2, 1 Corinthians 10:14–33; Ephesians 5:15–17; 1 Timothy 6:6–21; James 1:17; and 1 Peter 4:8–11

Bible Reading

The Whole Disciple

As a whole disciple, you embody several identities at once—family member, worshiper, servant, steward, and witness—and they influence every area of your life. At the Summit, we want to help you live out these identities through core discipleship activities—ongoing, lifelong tools that God uses to shape you into Christlikeness.

Family Member

Worshiper

Witness

Steward

Servant