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Stewardship & Contentment 

By Sterling W. Barrett

Biblical Stewardship & Contentment 

You and I live in a world filled with the clamoring consumeristic cries of more, mine, and me. We are confronted with advertisements and commercials on every front that push us to demand what we ‘deserve.’ However, if we redirect our attention from the relentless wails of the world to the established truths of Biblical wisdom, we are faced with a different perspective. The Bible overflows with verities that address the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the content and the wanting. Today, let us shift our focus from the busy clamors of the world to a more steadfast source of truth and discuss stewardship and contentment. 

What Is Biblical Stewardship? 

Stewardship begins with the understanding that God owns it all. King David had an excellent grasp on this concept, writing in Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” The natural conclusion that follows from this realization is one that David details later in 1 Chronicles 29:14, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 

Everything that we have, God has given to us to manage. He is the original creator and owner of all things; consequently, we can bear no higher title than ‘steward.’ As described by Christ in the Parable of the Talents, this means that we are responsible for what we’ve been given. In Luke 12:48 Jesus instructs, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” 

Contentment in Scripture 

Contentment isn’t a place we can pursue; it’s something we have to discover right where we are. It’s not something that we can find in our material possessions, for they are fleeting (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Instead, we must discover it in our eternal relationship with Christ. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-13 “ I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” The material possessions of this earth will rot and rust, but the Kingdom of God is everlasting. If we return back to the foundation that God owns it all, we can understand that He is free to give and take according to His will; but our relationship with Christ will never rot nor rust. 

Living Out Stewardship and Contentment 

So what does this mean for you and me as we walk through a world clamoring for our attention? It means that we should reject the constant calls for more, mine, and me, instead directing our attention to what the Bible has to say about stewardship and contentment. We should steward with excellence that which God has entrusted to us, being careful to not be labeled as a “wicked and slothful servant” who simply hides his talents. 

Furthermore, it means we should seek contentment not in the material possessions God has blessed us with, but rather in the deep, personal relationship He has established with us. True fulfillment comes from knowing and experiencing His presence, love, and grace in our lives, rather than from the fleeting satisfaction of earthly belongings. 

Biblical Stewardship & Contentment 

You and I live in a world filled with the clamoring consumeristic cries of more, mine, and me. We are confronted with advertisements and commercials on every front that push us to demand what we ‘deserve.’ However, if we redirect our attention from the relentless wails of the world to the established truths of Biblical wisdom, we are faced with a different perspective. The Bible overflows with verities that address the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the content and the wanting. Today, let us shift our focus from the busy clamors of the world to a more steadfast source of truth and discuss stewardship and contentment. 

What Is Biblical Stewardship? 

Stewardship begins with the understanding that God owns it all. King David had an excellent grasp on this concept, writing in Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.” The natural conclusion that follows from this realization is one that David details later in 1 Chronicles 29:14, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 

Everything that we have, God has given to us to manage. He is the original creator and owner of all things; consequently, we can bear no higher title than ‘steward.’ As described by Christ in the Parable of the Talents, this means that we are responsible for what we’ve been given. In Luke 12:48 Jesus instructs, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” 

Contentment in Scripture 

Contentment isn’t a place we can pursue; it’s something we have to discover right where we are. It’s not something that we can find in our material possessions, for they are fleeting (1 Timothy 6:6-8). Instead, we must discover it in our eternal relationship with Christ. Paul writes in Philippians 4:11-13 “ I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” The material possessions of this earth will rot and rust, but the Kingdom of God is everlasting. If we return back to the foundation that God owns it all, we can understand that He is free to give and take according to His will; but our relationship with Christ will never rot nor rust. 

Living Out Stewardship and Contentment 

So what does this mean for you and me as we walk through a world clamoring for our attention? It means that we should reject the constant calls for more, mine, and me, instead directing our attention to what the Bible has to say about stewardship and contentment. We should steward with excellence that which God has entrusted to us, being careful to not be labeled as a “wicked and slothful servant” who simply hides his talents. 

Furthermore, it means we should seek contentment not in the material possessions God has blessed us with, but rather in the deep, personal relationship He has established with us. True fulfillment comes from knowing and experiencing His presence, love, and grace in our lives, rather than from the fleeting satisfaction of earthly belongings. 

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