Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 4:1-2 wrote: “Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful”. Our Lord Jesus also said in Luke 12:42; who then is that faithful and wise servant, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? These two passages draw our attention as Christians to the salient fact that we are stewards serving our Lord, Savior and Master Jesus Christ. A steward is therefore a man whose job is to look after his master’s physical property or financial resources, He is accountable to the master for all his actions, decisions and overall management of whatsoever has been committed to his care.
Stewardship is a service and it is the way in which someone controls and looks after an organization and the various resources committed to his care is a management function governed by principles, rules, regulations, responsibility, accountability, rewards and sanctions. The basic principles of stewardship of the Lord’s finances according to the Scriptures are:
- The Principle of Ownership
The principle of ownership recognizes God as the Owner of man and all resources at his disposal according to Psalm 24:1, Gen 2:8, 15-17, and 1 Cor 4:7. By this principle, the steward must recognize that whatever is in his care is owned by God and must therefore be handled with the fear of God.
- The Principle of Custodianship
This principle affirms that men are mere custodians of the resources of the LORD and we retain our engagement as fortunate to be chosen by God and entrusted with His resources. We are to “dress it and keep it” in ways acceptable to God so that we may retain our engagement as overseers -. Gen 2:15-17, Gen3:23-24.
