Stewardship

By Barb Fisher

“All increase in the Kingdom comes through the faithful stewardship of what already has been given.” (Open Heavens by Bill Johnson)

After reading the above quote, I started thinking about stewardship and I realized that my understanding of Biblical stewardship needed to expand. I had very neatly placed the topic in a box labeled “finances.” If I tithed and gave offerings, then I was being a faithful steward and that was that.

I began a list of what I had been given by God: Time, Relationships, Grace, Forgiveness, Truth, Love, Mercy…the list continues. However, this short list was enough to convince me that I am not faithfully stewarding my Father’s endowments.

The Greek root word for steward, oikonómos, refers to someone who has been made a manager of a household, a guardian. The “steward” was a slave who had been released from forced, legal service. A faithful steward will manage and guard over what God has given to them, not as a slave, but as a son and daughter who manages the household of their Father well.

As a child of God, we are inheritors of all of His Kingdom. He holds nothing back from us. A faithful steward is also a sensible steward, meaning that we have acquired through an intimate relationship with Him, wisdom on how to steward our inheritance. He expects us to give to those who are walking as a slave and not a son, a measured portion of His inheritance that we have been enjoying, and doing so in His timing. That takes the wisdom of God, not the desires of our flesh. (Read the parable of the steward in Luke 12:42-48)

Consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 24. Try this exercise: Read the parable and every place you see the word talents, substitute “Mercy Coin.” A talent is a measure of weight. Out of the riches of His Glory (weight), He lavishes His mercy on us. A faithful steward of that mercy will receive the abundance that He provides every morning (Lam. 3:22-23) until eventually mercy overflows and we have portions to distribute for others to enjoy. The more we abound in mercy, the greater supply we have of mercy to release.

Luke 12:49
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
However, if we are an unfaithful steward of His mercy, we will have none to give to others. How do we become an unfaithful steward? We do so by burying or hiding what God has given us. We don’t apprehend the mercies He has provided daily for our lives, but instead, choose to live in bondage. When we try to gain our inheritance by works instead of mercy, then mercy is not working in our lives. There will be no surplus of mercy for God to pour out on those who need it at the time He determines they need it.

I used the word, mercy, for our exercise, but one could substitute any gift from Father and see the same principle at work. Do you desire more of His Presence? How are you stewarding (managing and guarding) the measure of His Presence you already have been given? Do you desire more of His joy? How are you stewarding (managing and guarding) the measure of His joy that you have already been given? Do you want deeper revelation? How are you stewarding (managing and guarding) the measure of His revelation you have already been given?
Back to the original quote from Bill Johnson, the pathway to an active open heaven that will lead to revival is to steward faithfully and sensibly what we have been given. God will not lead thirsty people to an empty or hidden well.

1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (NIV)

1 Corinthians 4:1 “This is the way any person is to regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (ASB)