1. Stewardship should be a philosophy of life for every Christian and local church.
Stewardship is ownership. God owns everything, he gives some of it to us, and we have
the responsibility of managing it. Stewardship is like the old sharecropper. He did not
own the farm, he only managed the farm for the owner; the owner shares the harvest with
the sharecropper. Stewardship is like the householder. He does not own the house but he’s
responsible for the care of the house. As believers in Christ, we are householders. I own a
home, two cars, a John Deere zero turn lawn mower, I have a wife, two beautiful
daughters and seven unbelievably wonderful grandchildren, and a 114 pound Great White
Pyrenees named Max, he’s my buddy. But, in reality God has only given it all to me on
loan. One day in Heaven, at the Judgement Seat of Christ, I will have to give an account
of my stewardship of all he has entrusted into my care. When I am gone someone else
will live in my house, on my land. Someone else will mow the grass. Someone else will
Pastor my church. I’m only the steward!!

There are many places in Scripture that we could go to learn smart financial stewardship.
One of my favorite passages of Scripture about Stewardship is in I Chronicles chapter 29.
King David had a desire to build his God a house. He had worked for many years
gathering and saving the materials. Because he was a man of war the LORD God would
not let him build the house. His son Solomon would build the first Temple. Chapter 29
gives us the offering that King David gave and received before his death and the
inauguration of his son Solomon as king.

First David gave of his own wealth. (Verse 3) “Moreover, because I have set my affection
to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have
given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy
house,” As we read of the gold and silver that he gave, his offering would have been
about four Trillion dollars. Then, the leadership of Israel gave a willing offering. (Verse
6) “Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of
thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly,” Their
combined offering would have been in the Trillions of dollars. Then the people of Israel,
with joy and rejoicing and a perfect heart, gave willingly. (Verse 9) ”Then the people
rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly
to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” Smart financial
stewardship brings great joy!!

2. In the story before us King David breaks out into a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to
the LORD. Five times he uses the word, ‘Thine’. Thine is defined as; belonging to thee,
relating to thee, being the property of thee. We see in this prayer of Thanksgiving that:
● All Worship belongs to thee.
● All Headship belongs to thee.
● All Rulership belongs to thee.
● All Stewardship belongs to thee.

In King David’s smart stewardship we see his praise, gratitude, humility, uprightness, and
willingness. These are great qualities to be practiced in our own stewardship.
The whole chapter can be summed up in verse 14. It really is a clear and powerful
statement on stewardship. “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able
to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we
given thee.”

● God owns it all.
● Everything we have, it all comes from him.
● From what he has given to us, we give back to him.
● The ability to give and the gift itself comes from our God.
Let me end with this quote:
“For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” – King David. The greatest King in Israel’s history.