We are God’s trustees.
SEPTEMBER 17, 2007 (MONDAY) – Recently a lady died and left $12 million to her dog, along with $millions to make sure that, when the pooch died, she would be buried beside her master in a beautiful mausoleum. The lady left an estate valued at $5 billion. To get an idea of how much money that is, think about the fact that a four-inch stack of dollar bills amounts to $1000, so her stack of dollar bills would stretch more than 312 miles into the sky! The money for the dog probably seemed like pennies to the lady. It still seems like a lot to me.
In the same will that provided so much money for the dog, the lady specifically said that two of her grandchildren would get nothing, and none of her great grandchildren was mentioned. To be fair, she left the bulk of her estate to worthy causes.
Granted that $12 million is a tiny fraction of the estate, it’s still a statement about the beliefs and values of the decedent. O.K., so what business is it of ours? It was her money, and she was free to do with it what she wished. She gives account only to God. One wonders, however, what God thinks about it.
No need to wonder what God thinks. You can find out what He thinks by studying the history of God’s dealings with us. Even a casual study of the Holy Scriptures lets us know that God holds us accountable for what we do with our time, talents and treasure. In other words, my life is not just my personal concern – it’s the Lord’s concern also.
A more relevant question for me is, “What does God think of my own personal stewardship?” How do I determine what good stewardship is? The very meaning of “stewardship” is that everything belongs to God and I am simply a trustee. I begin with the premise that I belong to God, and, therefore, so do all my possessions. Money and other “stuff” is only part of my stewardship. But it is a visible part of it and I want to please God with my choices.
How do we measure our gifts? Jesus gave us a strong clue when he observed a widow giving a mite (an amount of money so small it could hardly be measured) to the Temple offering. Jesus told his disciples that it was all she had in this world, and said, “she has given more than everyone else.” We might conclude that our gifts are measured not so much by what we give as by what we have left.
As a standard for giving our money to the Lord’s work, the tithe is a good beginning place for us. We must know, however, that the 10% standard represents considerable sacrifice for some, but not for others. One thing we must all remember: God does not look at your assets; he looks at your heart. Where is your heart?
I recently read of someone who has given serious consideration to the fact that he has more money than he really needs, and has promised the Lord to use 10% of his income for himself, and to give 90% to God’s work. I also heard of a couple in South Texas who, although living on a modest income, decided many years ago that they would set aside 50% of their income for the Lord’s work. Their lives are full of joy because of this; isn’t that joy what we really want?