Have you ever thought about the concept that God has a sense of humour? He must have, of course, because we are made in His image and since most of us have one, then it goes without saying that He, the original, must too. Why do I mention that now? Well, I think I’m seeing it at work. Throughout my long ‘church’ career, when I would have to go along to every special meeting as a junior member of a ministry team, one regular topic always made me groan; Stewardship!! Now, here I am with the shoe on the other foot presenting this to you. Somewhere, God is having a quiet chuckle I’m sure.

Some of you are probably thinking to yourselves; I wonder how long it will be before he starts to talk about money!! Well, to put you out of your misery, I’m going to deal with that topic first, so I can get it out of the way as quickly as possible and then move on to important matters.

Money, is obviously a very necessary commodity; we really can’t do without it, but it’s not in the least bit important. Jesus basically had nothing good to say about it. He recognised people had needs which today we use money for, but He dismissed His disciples concerns about it every time the issue was raised.

(Mat 6:25KJV)  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

(Mat 6:26KJV)  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

(Mat 6:31KJV)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(Mat 6:32KJV)  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

(Mat 6:33KJV)  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What then is the message of these few well known verses? Surely it’s that while God considers the material things of life necessary, He does not consider them to be important. What is important, is found in verse 33. We are told to seek first the Kingdom of God, then His righteousness, because the Bible tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags. All this is beyond the scope of this message. Suffice to say, that if our focus is on money or material things, then it is not on what God considers important; His Kingdom. Remember also, that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money is not evil, it is putting our focus on it, that is evil. I don’t need to preach about money, it’s not important. I’m called to preach about the Kingdom and the life of the Kingdom. It is within the Kingdom, that stewardship is important. Get that right, and all else will follow. That’s the final promise of verse 33.

So, as we study the issue of stewardship, I am not going to mention money; that is between you and God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He doesn’t NEED your money. However, the work of ministry in this day and age requires the use of money. If you want a guiding principle in this area, you need look no further than Mat 10:8  Freely you have received, freely give.

This giving, is NOT just money. In fact, I believe that giving money is both the easiest and least important aspect of the whole topic of giving. For me, my time is the most precious commodity I have. I’ve only been given so much, and the Bible tells me there’s nothing I can do to get any more. If you only have 3 months to live, all the money in the world won’t make a scrap of difference. You’ll treasure each and every day you have left. That’s how we should live in the Kingdom.

Stewardship is SO much more than money; it’s every aspect of your life. It’s personal, it’s familial and it’s corporate. You need to look after yourself and your health, both physical and spiritual. You have responsibilities towards your family and you have them for your local community, your city, your state and so on. In all these areas, God expects, no demands good stewardship.