Stewardship is not a word we hear much these days unless we are inside the walls of a church. Money management is a phrase that’s popular everywhere. The chief difference between these concepts is the question of whose possessions are we managing, our own or someone else’s?

The definition of stewardship is “a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs” (via dictionary.com). The most common analogy today would probably be the executor of a deceased person’s estate. In that case the assets that person has control over do not belong to them and they are not free to dispose of them however they choose. That person’s role is simply to carry out the wishes of the true owner of the possessions. On earth, the true owner of everything is God. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1, NIV). All the money and goods that flow through our hands truly belong to God; He has simply entrusted them into our care for a while. As such the question of how to manage our money should always be referred back to God, what does He want us to do? Thankfully, He has answered that question for us in the Bible.

There are three basic categories for our money: tithe, offerings and everything else. Tithe is 10% of all our income that should always be returned to God first as His rightful portion. In Leviticus 27:30 it says, “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Tithe should be returned to God as the first 10% of everything we earn or are gifted. That money belongs to God and should be the first line in our budget, not the last. We pay our tithe to God and trust Him to provide for our needs even if we think we won’t have enough left. Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

The second category is offerings, these are free will gifts given to the church or other worthy charities or people in need, above and beyond the 10% tithe. We give offerings out of a grateful heart for the abundance that God has bestowed upon us. Paul wrote to Timothy, “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” (1 Timothy 6:17-18, NIV). Now you might be saying to yourself, “I’m not rich, that does not apply to me.” The word rich obviously means different things to different people, but if you are reading this in the United States and you have food in your kitchen and a roof over your head you would likely be considered rich by most people in the world. If we truly count our blessings it should be joyful to give to God.

Why does God want us to give tithe and offerings? Is it because He needs our money? No, it is not. Psalm 50:9-12 says, “I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” God does not need our possessions, but He is giving us a chance to share in the blessings that come from giving to the Lord. Giving to God on a regular basis helps protect us from becoming selfish and covetous. Jesus told us, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15, NIV). God wants us to be focused on Him, not on our stuff.

Of course, stewardship is about more than just what we do with our money. Our bodies, abilities and time all belong to God as well and in addition to that, He has entrusted us as the stewards of this earth. Every aspect of what we do with our lives should be considered in the light of how it will glorify God. I pray that we will all work toward being good stewards of what God has given to each of us.