Cultivate a Stewards’ Mindset

1. God created everything
• Genesis 1:1
• In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.


2. God owns everything
• Haggai 2:8
• ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord
• 1:1
  • for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills
• 1:1
  • The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously
3. We are trustees
• 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
• This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
4. We can’t serve two masters
• Matthew 6:24
• No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
5. Use resources wisely
• Matthew 25:21-28
6. Pursue biblical, financial knowledge
• Proverbs 23:23
• Buy the truth and do not sell it— wisdom, instruction and insight as well.
• Proverbs 15:22
• Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
7. Measurable goals and reaslistic plans
• Proverbs 16:3
• Commit to the Lordwhatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
8. Trustworthiness matters
• Luke 16:10-12
• Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

The Diligent Earner

One who produces with diligence and purpose and is content and grateful for what he or she has

1. Be diligent, serve God
• Colossians 3:23
• Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters


2. Provide for ourselves and those dependent on us
• 1 Timothy 5:8
• Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
3. Be grateful: Remember from whom income really comes
• Deuteronomy 8:18
• But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
4. Enjoy your work; be content in it
• Ecclesiastes 5:18-19
• This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.
5. Be transformed workers
• Ephesians 6:5-6
• In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
6. Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.
• Earn potential, share excess
• Ephesians 4:28

The Generous Giver

One who gives with an obedient will, a joyful attitude and a compassionate heart

1. We are made to give
• Genesis 1:1
• Genesis 1:26-27


2. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
• Give as a response to God’s goodness
• James 1:17
3. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
• Give to focus on God as our source and security
• Matthew 6:33
4. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
• Give to help achieve economic justice
• 2 Corinthians 8:13-14
5. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Give to bless others
• Be willing to share
• 1 Timothy 6:18
6. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
• Give joyfully, generously, in a timely manner
• 2 Corinthians 8:1-5
7. And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
• Give wisely
• 2 Corinthians 8:20
8. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.
• Give expectantly and cheerfully
• 1 Timothy 6:18
9. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
• Motives for giving are important
• 1 Corinthians 13
• If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
• Matthew 23:23

The Wise Saver

One who builds, preserves and invests with discernment

1. It is wise to save
• Proverbs 21:20
• The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
• Proverbs 6:8
• yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.


2. It is sinful to hoard
• Like 12:16-21
• 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
3. Calculate cost; prioritize
• Luke 14:28-30
• 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
4. Avoid get-rich-quick schemes
• Proverbs 28:20
• A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
5. Seek wise counselors.
• Proverbs 1:5
• let the wise listen and add to their learning and let the discerning get guidance
6. Establish a job before buying a home
• Proverbs 24:27
• Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
7. Diversify your holdings
• Ecclesiastes 11:2
• Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

The Cautious Debtor

One who avoids entering into debt, is careful and strategic when incurring debt, and always repays debt

1. Repay debt and do so promptly
• Psalm 37:21
• The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
• Proverbs 3:28
• Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.


2. Avoid the bondage of Debt
• Proverbs 22:7
• The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
3. Debt presumes on the future
• James 4:13-14
• Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
4. Debt can deny God the opportunity to work in our lives and teach us valuable lessons
• Luke 12:22-32
• 22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
• Ecclesiastes 7:14
• When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future.
5. Debt can foster envy and greed
• Luke 12:15
• Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
6. Give and pay what you owe
• Romans 13:7
• Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
7. Don’t co-sign
• Proverbs 22:26-27
• Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you

The Prudent Consumer

One who avoids entering into debt, is careful and strategic when incurring debt, and always repays debt

1. Beware of idols
• Deuteronomy 5:8
• You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
• Romans 1:25
• They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised


2. Guard against greed; Things do not bring happiness
• Luke 12:15
• Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
3. Seek moderation
• Proverbs 30:8-9
• Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
4. Be content
• Philippians 4:12-13
• I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
• 1 Timothy 6:6-8
• But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
5. Don’t waste God’s resources
• John 6:12
• When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
6. Enjoy a portion of God’s provision
• 1 Timothy 6:17-19
• Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
7. Watch your finances (budget)
• Proverbs 27:23-24
• Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.