-- Bright, B.

Arthur De Moss was a gifted and godly businessman. He built one of the most successful businesses of its kind in America and in the process gained a fortune of an estimated half a billion dollars.

Then suddenly, during an economic recession, stock in his company plummeted. He lost $360 million in only four months—an average of $3 million a day, more than anybody had ever before lost in such a short time. One would think that he would have been devastated, having to cut back on his Christian giving. Instead, he increased his giving. As we talked together during that period, Art was rejoicing in the Lord.

“The Lord gave me everything I have,” he explained. “It all belongs to Him, and if He wants to take it away that’s His business. I don’t lose any sleep. I still have a wonderful family and my lifestyle remains unchanged. I will do anything God wants me to do. If He takes away everything He has entrusted to me and calls me to the mission field, I’m ready to go. All He needs to do is tell me.”

Art placed his trust completely in his Lord and not in his fortune. God honored his faith and obedience and eventually restored all that he had lost and much more. Art has now gone to be with the Lord, but his fortune is still being used for the glory of God.

Art’s story illustrates an amazingly liberating principle of stewardship. If we faithfully use all that God entrusts to us, and if we keep His ownership of everything in our lives clearly in focus, any material loss simply represents His decision to direct to another the stewardship of that possession. This concept removes the burdensome grief associated with losing what we consider our own, since in fact it is not our own. In times of tragedy, God never forsakes us. He supplies all our needs. As stewards, our task is to trust Him completely.

True Christian Stewardship

A steward, we have seen, oversees the affairs of a household or estate, or manages the accounts and property of another person.

Let’s examine now five qualifications of a good steward.

A Good Steward Is Faithful

The apostle Paul wrote, “It is required of stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). The Living Bible phrases it this way: “The most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to.” Faithfulness is dependability – a steady, day–by–day obedience to what God has given us to do.

Every morning when Vonette and I get on our knees before God, we remember that we belong to Him. We acknowledge that we love Him with all our hearts, with all our souls and with all our minds. We ask Him to walk around in our bodies, to think with our minds, to love with our hearts, to speak with our lips. And since He came to seek and to save the lost, we ask Him to continue seeking and saving the lost through us. Throughout the day, we make decisions in light of this commitment.

Obedience to the commands of Scripture, persistence in claiming the promises of God’s Word, a daily commitment to “walk in the light as is in the light” (1 John 1:7) and to abide in Christ and let His Word abide in us (John 15:1-8) – these are the qualities of a faithful steward.

A Good Steward Is Trustworthy

As faithfulness relates to dependability, trustworthiness means integrity. If you are honest, your word is your bond. I say to those with whom I work closely, “Please don’t ever hesitate to tell me when you have made a mistake. I will understand because we all make mistakes. But never lie to me, never be deceptive or manipulative because inevitably I will learn about it. When I do, I will forgive you, but I will have difficulty trusting you again.” I cannot think of any justification for lying or deceitfulness. Because of the untrustworthiness of many Christians, no one can place confidence in them. The most important virtue in life is our integrity. As good stewards, our reputation, our character, our trustworthiness, our integrity must be above reproach.

As a boy, I learned that one’s word outweighed any written contract. My grandfather and my father would complete large business deals involving large sums of money with a handshake. They took pride in their integrity. Once my grandfather had several associates who had invested in one of his oil properties. For some reason that project did not develop as he had promised. Although he was not legally obligated, he felt constrained to return their funds. You do not always have control over your wealth, but you are the one who decides whether you can be trusted.

In 1948, while on my way to Oklahoma for a December 30 wedding to Vonette Zachary, I passed through the city of Okmulge where my grandfather had lived for many years. I had visited my grandparents there often. Suddenly, I remembered my need to purchase gifts for the wedding party and stopped at a jewelry store.

Before looking for the items I wanted, I asked the man in charge, whom I later learned was the owner, if he would cash an out–of–state check.

“I’m sorry, sir,” he shook his head courteously. “It’s against our policy.”

I turned to walk out of the store.

“Do you know anyone in this city?” he called after me.

“No. My grandfather used to live here, but he’s been dead for several years,” I offered.

“What was his name?”

“Sam Bright.”

“Are you the grandson of Sam Bright?” The man approached with enthusiasm.

I nodded.

“Sam Bright was the most honorable man I have ever known!” he exclaimed. “If you’re anything like your grandfather, I will sell you anything in this store. And I’ll take your check!”

I felt moved by this experience. Although my grandfather had been gone for many years, he had left a legacy of integrity.

A Good Steward Is Knowledgeable

A good steward must be knowledgeable. In considering investments for our Lord, we must study various Christian enterprises to determine which of them merit our help.

Fund–appeal letters provide a good source of information. “Many Christians get tired of all those letters asking for money that come in the mail,” a dear friend told me one day. “But I get excited about them. I’m always looking for a better opportunity to invest my money to serve the Lord. I don’t hesitate to say ‘no’ if the project is a good investment for the kingdom.”

I encourage you to seek the counsel of other godly Christians who invest in worthwhile projects. Determine which churches and ministries best fulfill God’s plan for your giving and investigate their track records. Ask for financial statements, and enclose with each request a contribution large enough to make the effort worthwhile. Find out how long the ministries have been in existence and what they have accomplished for the cause of Christ. Further, examine the credentials of those who lead the movements.

Common sense, or a “sound mind,” is a good guide as well. Paul said to Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Apply this God–given sense. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you invest your money where you know it will bear the best results for His glory.

A Good Steward Is Fruitful

The measure of good stewardship is fruitfulness. Let us look at a parable that Jesus told to illustrate this point:

The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called together his servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone.

He gave $5,000 to one, $2,000 to another, and $1,000 to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities—and then left on his trip. The man who received the $5,000 began immediately to buy and sell with it and soon earned another $5,000. The man with $2,000 went right to work, too, and earned another $2,000.

But the man who received the $1,000 dug a hole in the ground and hid the money for safekeeping.

After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to him to account for his money. The man to whom he had entrusted the $5,000 brought him $10,000.

His master praised him for good work. “You have been faithful in handling this small amount,” he told him, “so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.”

Next came the man who had received the $2,000 with the report, “Sir, you gave me $2,000 to use, and I have doubled it.”

“Good work,” his master said. “You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.”

Then the man with the $1,000 came and said, “Sir, I knew you were a hard man, and I was afraid you would rob me of what I earned, so I hid your money in the earth and here it is!”

But the master replied, “Wicked man! Lazy slave! Since you knew I would demand your profit, you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest. Take the money from this man and give it to the man with the $10,000. For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him” (Matthew 25:14-29).

A faithful steward will scrutinize his opportunities and invest what God has given him in such a way that it will produce the best results.

Even in giving to our church, we should examine its fruitfulness. While studying your church budget, ask yourself these questions: What is my church doing to helpful fill the Great Commission? How many people is it introducing to Christ each year? How many of these are being discipled to grow and mature in their spiritual walk? Does my church show concern for orphans and widows and other needy people?

The master in Jesus’ parable held each steward responsible for his investment. He rewarded or rebuked the steward according to his fruitfulness. In like manner, our Lord expects fruitfulness in the “little things” of material wealth before He will entrust us with the true riches of eternal value (Luke 16:10, 11).

A Good Steward Is Godly                                           

A good steward also lives a godly life. Holiness is God’s highest and most glorious attribute. Personal godliness begins with our birth into the family of God. We actually receive into our lives the One who is holy and perfect—the Lord Jesus, the risen Christ. From that moment, Christ begins to develop His life in us, a process which continues throughout our lives.

Some time ago, my heart grieved as I learned of a respected Christian leader who had fallen into a life of sin. He had obviously not intended to do so, but when the temptation came he gave in. As a result his wife, his family, his friends and fellow Christians suffered severe heartache. Most tragically, his testimony and witness for the Lord Jesus has suffered untold damage. Many have ridiculed and rejected the cause of Christ because of his sin.

Since God wants us to live a holy life, the enemy seeks to entrap us in sin and defeat. Several years ago a story in a national magazine described a couple who adopted two wolf cubs, which they discovered while making a film of caribou in Alaska. They took the young wolves to their home and raised them with tender, loving care. For a while the wolves behaved just like friendly dogs. One day, however, they turned on their masters, who barely escaped with their lives. The wolves then fled to join a wild wolf pack. No matter how kindly their masters had treated them, their natures were such that sooner or later they would behave like other wolves.

Similarly, our sinful nature stays the same. No amount of education, refinement, culture, or kindness can take away its selfishness and proneness to sin. Victory is assured only as we live moment by moment under the power and control of the Holy Spirit.

Christians who fall into carnal living do so because they fail to recognize the danger signals in their spiritual walk. The love of self, the love of pleasure, and the love of money consumes and preoccupies them, affecting their giving, their priorities, and their intimacy with God Himself. As a result, Satan robs them of their joy in Christ and destroys their witness as children of God.

How does one live a consistent, godly life? God has given us His Holy Spirit to empower us for holy living and fruitful witness. He releases His power in our lives as we:

•     Spend time daily in the presence of God through diligent Bible study and prayer.

•     Obey Him in all things and avoid those things that dishonor Him.

•     Claim His promises in the face of temptation.

•     Keep short accounts with God.

From the beginning of my Christian life, God gave me a strong desire to live a holy life and become a fruitful witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. I really worked at this matter of being a Christian. I attended church several times each week, gave leadership to a witnessing group of more than a hundred young people, and served as a deacon in the church. I studied and memorized Scripture, lived a disciplined life of prayer and witnessed for Christ regularly. Yet, the harder I tried to live the Christian life the more frustrated I became. I often felt guilty and spiritually inadequate.

One day, as I was reading His Word, God graciously showed me how simply one can appropriate the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit to live a godly and fruitful life. He revealed to me the concept I call “Spiritual Breathing,” which has enabled me to experience the exciting, wonderful and adventurous joy of walking in the Spirit for more than forty years. Through the years, this concept has enabled millions of Christians around the world to experience God’s love and forgiveness in their lives.

Spiritual Breathing, like physical breathing, is a process of exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure. Think for a moment on how your body needs to breathe. When you exhale, you rid your lungs of carbon dioxide and other impurities that would cause disease if they stayed in your system. Then, when you inhale, you breathe in the oxygen so crucial to maintaining a healthy body.

So it is with spiritual life. Through sin, we break our fellowship with God. As a result, we feel guilty and estranged from our Lord; we become complacent, discouraged and depressed. An exercise in faith, Spiritual Breathing enables us to experience God’s love and forgiveness as a way of life.

We “exhale” by confession. Confession means three things; first, we agree with God that whatever we are doing that displeases Him is sin. Next, we acknowledge that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins by shedding His blood and dying on the cross. Then we repent. We experience a change of attitude and action. That is, we turn away from our wrongdoing.

Having confessed our sins, we then “inhale” by appropriating the fullness of God’s Spirit by faith. We invite Him to direct, control and empower our life according to His promise in Acts 1:8, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”

Spiritual Breathing is the secret to living the Spirit–filled life moment by moment. The Spirit-filled life is one where we surrender the control of the throne of our life to our risen Lord and draw on His power through the enabling of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life. When we retake control of the throne by a deliberate sin, by worry and anxiety or unbelief, we need to breathe spiritually.

Is sin causing difficulty in your life? Has unconfessed sin begun to accumulate? I encourage you to keep short accounts with God. Whenever you find yourself retaking control of the throne of your life, breathe spiritually. Ask God to give you His power to gain victory over every form of sin, worry, anxiety—whatever you have confessed to Him. You will not only experience a fulfilled, happy life, but you will love our Lord more and thus be more effective as a steward of His blessings.

For Reflection, Discussion and Action

1. Review the five qualifications of a steward. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any sin or weakness in your stewardship. Through Spiritual Breathing, confess these barriers to joyful giving.

2. Study the parable found in Matthew 25:14–29 and list the characteristics you find in the good and bad stewards. Apply these to the way people live today.

3. Up to this point, how have you pictured the godly steward? Has your opinion changed? How will you need to adjust your lifestyle to become a good steward?

4. Do you know a Christian who models the qualifications of a godly steward? What examples in his life point to these qualifications?

5. Think of an example in your life where sin interfered with your giving. How did you handle it? What will you do differently in the future?

-- Bright, B. As you sow.