Have you ever thought about stewardship as competitive? By competitive, I mean striving to be as generous as possible with your time, talents, and money. Competitive stewardship is applying the discipline of an athlete to excel in the God-given responsibility for humanity to “work and keep” the land as Adam was commanded in Genesis 2:15.
Competitive stewardship starts with asking probing questions. How does God desire me to live? What limits should my lifestyle have in order to prepare people for eternity? What does it mean to “use the world” but not make “full use” of it or to “own” but not “possess”, as Paul commanded believers in 1 Corinthians 7:30-31? What does it mean to not claim anything as “one’s own,” as the early church modeled for us in Acts 4:34? Further, how are we to live as pilgrims just passing through in a culture aggressively insistent on indulgence, record-high consumer debt, and competitive consumption?
After spending time contemplating these questions, I want to offer seven convictions of a competitive steward.
1. A competitive steward understands that he is headed to a lasting city and a far nicer home than any home in any city in this world (Jn 14:1-3; 1 Jn 2:15-17; Heb 11:10, 13:14). This helps the Christian to invest in eternal rewards more than earthly rewards.
2. A competitive steward owns his theology, not his things. A competitive steward knows he is owned by God (1 Cor 6:19-20) and that what he “owns” is not actually his own (Acts 4:34). What he does own temporarily he will gladly give to another, if in giving he is successfully meeting a physical or spiritual need, thus bringing delight to the Lord (Acts 4:34, 20:35; 2 Cor 8:5).
3. A competitive steward understands that stewardship is not optional, it’s essential. Following Jesus’ mission is radical and repentance from competitive consumption must take place in order to follow Him (Col 3:5, Lk 14:23). Competitive stewardship must replace competitive consumption.
4. A competitive steward is a strategic investor. He seeks to do the greatest amount of work, for the greatest number of people, in order to bring them the greatest good both now and for eternity! This goal maintains a clear view towards heaven and reminds us that Jesus’ eternally-incentivized plan is for each of us to make His heaven our bank (Mt 6:21). C.S. Lewis said, “If you aim at heaven you will get earth thrown in, if you aim at earth you will lose both.”
5. A competitive steward hates waste. He sees the thief of excess. The more I have, the more I have to be responsible for. The more I have, the more time out of my already-focused life I will need to take care of it. Ten shirts are better than twenty. If something does not serve me well in my roles in family and in church—to care for those entrusted to me (first locally then globally)–it is in the way. Mass requires orbit; the more I have, the more I have to maintain.
6. A competitive steward lives not for amassing more things for self, but for honoring God through caring well for people. As a competitive steward, I make it my aim to have more friends waiting to welcome me into eternal dwellings. So, I invest to get the gospel to the nations. As a competitive steward, I want more poor people to have clean drinking water in order to simply live, so I help the poor and needy. I want more people to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want more healthy churches planted and more Great Commission, gospel-forwarding works of missions funded. So, I serve my local church, equipping others for works of ministry and toward growth in maturity.
7. A competitive steward sees the thief of death coming. As sure as night follows day, death will eventually separate me from my earthly things forever (1 Tim 6:6-7). What earthly things do I want to leave behind? Only those things that have served me well in my service to the King and will serve my heirs well in the same mission. This rules out a whole lot of things people belonging to this world clamor for.
In summation, how does God desire us to live? What limit should my lifestyle have in order to prepare people for eternity? Should I not, as one already delivered out of this passing world by King Jesus (Gal 1:4), be ruled by a godlier ambition in quite the opposite direction as this world is trending?
How about you? Are you being wise with your resources? Do you aim at eternity? Is your stuff serving you in your service to God or are you serving your stuff? Are you preparing others for eternity and helping them get there? Are your material assets serving you in your mission for God or are some of them in the way?
