What the Bible Says About Stewardship Fifteen percent of Christ's teachings in the New Testament deal with money and possessions - - more than his teachings on heaven and hell combined. Stewardship is the outward sign of our gratitude to the Lord for all He has given us. “Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9: 7)

Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12: 13-21

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 07:29:30 -0600

“Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth.”

In the classic 1987 film, ”Wall Street”, Michael Douglas won an Academy Award for his role as Gordon Gekko, the very personification of greed. In a speech to the stockholders of a corporation he was about to take over, Gekko delivered a riveting speech in which he declared:

"Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right; greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words - - will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."

The inspiration for Gekko's speech was the 1986 commencement address delivered by Wall Street money maven Ivan Boesky at the UC Berkeley's School of Business Administration. Boesky told the assembly that, "Greed is all right, by the way. I want you to know that. I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself." Not long afterward, Boesky was sent to prison for insider trading.

In today's Gospel, Jesus refuses to be drawn into a sibling rivalry in which one brother demands that the other brother give him his share of his inheritance. The custom at that time was for the heirs to share the inherited land and work it together rather than divide it up. Jesus saw the man's request as a sign of greed.

The Bible warns us about greed 25 times and reminds us that our lives do not consist of the abundance of our possessions. Yet we live in a society that encourages conspicuous, profligate consumption, a country in which children learn at an early age that too much is never enough. a nation in which everyone seems to say, "Super size me."

When we approach the altar to receive communion, we extend an empty hand to receive the host. That outward gesture symbolizes the way we must let go of the things of this world and break the grip of greed in order to take Jesus into our lives.

15 Signs of a Good Steward: Luke 16: 9-15

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:55:33 -0600

“He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.”

On the face of every dollar bill, it says, “In God we trust.” Today’s Gospel turns that statement around and asks, “Can God trust us?” Can He trust us with His money? It is His, after all. Every dollar, every dime, every nickel and penny belongs to Him. Everything we have is His; it’s simply on loan to us. And He wants to know whether He can trust us with it. Can we live within our means? Can we use His money wisely?

There are plenty of Shylock’s ready and willing to convince us that the wise use of money involves schemes like: “cash advances, no credit, no worries;” “no down payment, no interest, no payments until . . .” We met a lot of those smooth talkers during the housing bubble and now we must live with the aftermath of that kind of thinking.

If time is money, it will be some time before we get our financial house in order again. Meanwhile, there are things we can do to demonstrate to the Lord that we understand today’s Gospel message.

Here are 15 signs that we are becoming faithful stewards of the Lord. None of them involves a big sacrifice on our part. But, we must prove trustworthy in little things before we will be entrusted with much more.

15 Signs of a Good Steward

1.We set aside a little of each paycheck for a rainy day, and participate in a tax-deferred 401(k) plan in which our contributions are matched by the company. 
2.We balance our checking account monthly and use automatic payment plans to avoid late charges, especially on credit cards. 
3.We borrow wisely and avoid pay day loans and cash advances on our credit cards. We pay off the credit card balance each month. 
4.We use a shopping list and coupons at the supermarket and stock up on sale items. 
5.We use ATMs that don’t charge exorbitant fees for every withdrawal. 
6.We check our phone bill and cable bill to make sure we’re getting the best rate. 
7.We turn the lights off when leaving a room; dial the thermostat back; and wash and dry full loads of laundry. 
8.We drink tap water rather than bottled water; we skip the daily lattes at the local coffee shop. 
9.We use public transportation whenever practical. 
10.We become tourists in our own home town and ignore the offers to “fly now pay later.” 
11.We save eating our for special occasions.  
12.We shop thrift stores and garage sales for bargains, especially for the kind of clothing we ue for gardening and household chores. 
13.We declutter our lives by holding a garage sale or selling our stuff online. 
14.We get a free credit report once a year. 
15.We make a return to the Lord in the form of a tithe.  
That’s a fairly long list and may seem overwhelming. So start by taking the easy steps first and be sure to congratulate yourself each time you succeed.

The Generous Widow: Luke 21: 1-4

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:43:14 -0600

“ . . .she of her want did cast in all the living that she had.”

The lesson of the widow’s mite comes down to this: God judges us, not by what we give, but by what we keep for ourselves. That is the real measure of our generosity. The widow kept nothing for herself. Most likely she was penniless and had to rely on the kindness of strangers - - just as Jesus did. She may have lived from hand to mouth, praying for her daily bread - - much as Jesus did. Yet, she was so grateful to the Lord that she “cast in all the living that she had.” By contrast, the rich held onto their wealth and gave of their discretionary income.

What do you suppose Jesus would have to say about today’s charitable giving patterns? Studies show that families living below the poverty level are actually more generous than higher income families. That’s right, percentage-wise, the poor give about 33 percent more of their meager income to charity than the rich give.

What was true in Jesus’ day remains true today. There is a natural tendency to keep a tight grip on the possessions that come to define who we are. We assume that they make us comfortable, safe and whole.

But it is only in letting go of our need for the things that money can buy that we make room in our lives for the inner peace, which is priceless.

Before the widow could empty her purse she had to empty herself of all earthly desires. She had to cast off all doubts and fears about her well-being and put her faith in the hands of a loving, provident heavenly Father, trusting that He would meet her needs. Her generosity was the outward sign of a grateful spirit. What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving week?

Poverty of Riches: Mark 10: 17-27

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:50:42 -0600

“One thing is wanting unto thee: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

Saint Mark tells us that upon hearing Jesus' words, the young rich man's face fell "and he went away sorrowful: for he was one that had great possessions." He just couldn't let go of what he owned; or, more properly, what owned him. The bigger the bankroll, the tighter the rubber band.

Jesus wasn't calling the rich young man to a life of poverty for there is no merit in simply being poor. Not every pauper is a saint nor is every saint a pauper. That is not the point of today's Gospel message.

Jesus was calling the rich man to examine his values and embrace a life of generosity. He was saying that, when we give freely, we free ourselves of the need for more and more. He was saying that our self-worth is not measured by our valuables, but by our values.

The attitude of Jesus toward money is best expressed in the Lord's Prayer when He instructs us to pray for "our daily bread." In other words, Jesus preached a life of moderation in which our basic needs are met by a loving, provident God.

Studies show that 80 percent of us consider ourselves middle class, neither rich nor poor. In other words, we believe we are living a life of moderation. But are we?

Rampant consumerism has led many families to amass crushing debt burdens in pursuit of the good life. Yet, as MasterCard readily acknowledges in its advertising, "There are somethings that money can't buy." One of them is the peace of mind and contentment enjoyed by those who give freely in the certain belief that God will meet their daily needs.

In preaching moderation, Jesus was asking us to live within our means. For many households, that means scaling back on spending. Nearly 20 percent of American families say they are in financial trouble and, more often than not, it is due to confusing their needs and their wants. It's an easy mistake to make in a culture of consumerism.

Thrift is a precursor to generosity. We can't give what we don't have. If we have been over-spending, we have to change our standard of living in order to change our standard of giving. But, there is no alternative. As stewards of the Lord, we will one day be called to make an accounting of how we have used our money and possessions.

In giving freely, we will come to discover how truly blessed we are.