Stewardship: God’s Economic Plan

From guest blogger Ashley Hodge. Please visit his website at http://www.stewardshipmandate.com/


These are difficult economic times. The economy is either in recession or likely to be in recession. There are some significant strains on the economy to work out - housing; credit; weak dollar; high commodity prices. But some things never change. God has His ways. His wisdom works in any economic environment.

What are some keys from God’s Word that help us focus our attention on Him and the plans that He has for us during economic uncertainty?

I have 3 keys from the Bible that never change. They work in times of recession and economic calamity. They work in times of great prosperity. If you practice them, you will have peace. If you neglect them, you will invite stress.

1. Simplify

Ecclesiastes 7:29 tells us that God has made us simple, yet we seek out our own complexities. The Scriptures encourage us to store our treasures in Heaven not earth- where moths, thieves and rust cannot destroy them (Matthew 6:20). We are told to pursue godly character and not riches - I Timothy 6:6-20. If money comes as a byproduct of pursuing godliness, so be it. But our focus should never be possessions.

He who dies with the most toys is not a winner in God’s economy. We are encouraged to travel light and to use things for our enjoyment and God’s purposes. But we are never to worship things by spending our time, money and energy on accumulating unneeded stuff. This is why it is easy for the Christian who shares a biblical worldview to scale down quickly in times of economic downturn.

2. Work Hard

Jesus declares in John 9:4, “We must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” Retirement is not a biblical concept. God gives each of us a unique gift set. Our job is to use, hone and refine our unique gifts towards work that is beneficial to mankind. If we are blessed enough to be in a position where working for pay is optional, we should still seek productivity.

I was watching an old Super Friends episode with my 3-year old son. These episodes required the combined talents of Superman, Aquaman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and the Wonder Twins to thwart some evil force’s attempt to destroy the world. When faced with one dilemma Superman said, “Our motto is to always choose the course of action that produces the greatest good to the greatest amount of people.”

This is a good motto to live our lives by. Our time of permanent rest is not here. We have work to do. We want to burn out bright. As long as our minds and bodies are active, we should be engaged in useful, productive activities. This is a recession proof philosophy. Proverbs 10:3, “The Lord will not let the righteous go hungry.”

3. Be Hopeful

We should seek to be biblical progressives. What do I mean by that? Some Christians want to be thrown back to the good ol’ days before all the modern problems complicated our lives. The Amish are an example. They shun electricity, computers, washing machines, etc… because they believe in a return to the Garden of Eden before mankind ruined the earth.

But the problem is not modernization. The problem is sin. Computers are an invention that can be used to destroy lives by leading to pornography or enhance lives by allowing us to work more effectively any place, any time. When we waste our time or resources because of modernization, it is a problem. But the biblical story moves from an undeveloped pristine garden - Genesis - to a developed, complex city of God - Revelation.

God has called us into a stewardship relationship with the earth and all of its resources. We are given a mandate to be fruitful and multiply the resources that God brings our way - Genesis 1:28. This should give us great hope. Heaven will be a period of great mental and physical activity and unlimited prosperity.

But we won’t get tired like we do now. In the meantime, the story of humankind is one of progress and ingenuity as people fulfill God’s stewardship mandate. God will sort out the wasteful from the useful at the end of time. We should do this in our lives as well and spend our time on useful pursuits.

Economic cycles come and go. There are times of scarcity and times of plenty. But we can have peace if we follow God’s ways: live simple; work hard and be hopeful. We know how it all ends. Let’s make sure others can see Christ - our hope of glory - in the way we live.

Ashley Hodge, CFP®