Faithfulness in Family Life: 5 Things Women Must Know about Stewardship

READY FOR A POP QUIZ ON STEWARDSHIP, LADIES? 

Ready or not . . . here it comes!

Quickly: put your books away and open up your electronic note pads.

Make haste before I wrap your knuckles with my ruler! (Don’t give me power. I can’t handle power.)

There are four questions. Twenty-five points each.

You may begin . . . now!

1. Would you consider yourself a faithful steward of your family?

2. Does your parenting and marriage honor God?

Hey! Eyes on your own paper. (I have eyes in the back of my head.) 

3. Is raising kids who love and serve God your number one goal as a mom?

4. Is the primary objective of your marriage to glorify God?

TIME’S UP!

Electronic pens down, please.

Don’t bother to text or email your papers.

Thankfully, I’m not grading this quiz. (Especially, considering that I might fail it myself.) You may self-grade your quiz, then print it out and make an airplane or origami.

Even though your answers are between you…and, um…you; just for the record…

If you’ve: 1) answered no to any of these questions; 2) answered yes to any of these questions, but you’d still like to know more; or 3) your dog ate your homework – then keep reading, because class is about to start!

One of the things that I’m excited about right now is the impending release of my first e-guide: The Wise Woman Builds: The Art of Building a Godly Home.

What excites me about this guide is that it explores several wonderful ways a woman can build her home wisely, and one of those ways is by carefully selecting her building materials.

A wise woman’s materials of choice are the life-giving principles found in God’s word. These principles are life-giving because God’s word is alive!

 ^“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

One such principle stewardship.

What is stewardship, you ask? 

(High five! You get 5 bonus points for inquisitiveness and class participation!)

Stewardship is defined as:

• the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care, or a person appointed to act for another.

Stewardship and the Home

When I apply the principle of stewardship in my home, I operate with the understanding that I am responsible for the care of my family and the management of my home.

More importantly, I understand that I have been divinely appointed with this task. God, Himself, has entrusted my family and my home to my care.

Stewardship shapes and defines the way I approach every area of family life. Because of it, I am intentional about my role as a wife and a mom: I know that I have to work to “grow” my family, and that my work should yield a good return. Proverbs 31:10-31

Stewardship in Parenting

With respect to stewarding my children, I recognize that they do not belong to me; they are a gift from God, on loan to me for a season, and I am raising them on God’s behalf (appointed to act for another).

As such, my primary purpose in motherhood is to cultivate my kids’ hearts to love God and serve Him above all else.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Dueteronomy 6:6-7  

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 4:4

Stewardship in Marriage

With respect to my husband, I operate with the understanding that my faithfulness to him (through respect, submission, etc.) is not principally about my relationship with him at all, but rather, it’s about my devotion to Christ.

The husband and wife relationship is a metaphor of Christ and His Church (Ephesians 5:22-32). The functionality of a wife’s relationship with her husband can (and most likely will) demonstrate the work of Christ in her life (John 13:35).

Make your marriage more about your relationship with Christ than about how much you love your husband. Pray and ask God, how together, you both can bring glory to His Kingdom.

There are many ways to be a witness to a lost and dying world, and to testify that there is a God who can change lives. One powerful way is by demonstrating the work of God in your own marriage.

(This demonstration will be even more powerful if your husband is a “Nabal” or if he behaves in a manner which is “undeserving” of your love and affection).

(Extra credit for “head-of-the-class” types: Read the story of Nabal in 1 Samuel 25 for 10 bonus points!)

OK, Ladies – no dozing off! Stand up and stretch to get your blood flowing. We’re almost to the finish line!

What does the Bible say about stewardship?

Unfaithfulness, or poor stewardship, is never acceptable to God. In fact, it is strongly condemned in the Bible.

Probably the strongest condemnation of poor stewardship is from the Lord himself in the parable of the talents (Mathew 25:14-29), where the servant who did nothing with his one talent was condemned by his master as a “wicked, lazy slave.” 

(Mathew 25:14-29 is fundamental to understanding the principle of stewardship. If you haven’t read it, please click here to read it before you go any further.)

Here are five key points that every woman should keep in mind concerning stewardship and the home:

• A good steward is faithful – We are required to be faithful with the family we have been entrusted with: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). 

• Stewards will be held accountable – We will give an account to God for our management of our home: “Jesus told his disciples: ‘There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer’” (Luke 16: 1&2). 

• Good stewards receive more – The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants …? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. (Luke 12:42-44). “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. (Matthew 25:29a).

• Poor stewards should never expect anything more than what they already possess – Jesus also says, “…if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own” (Luke 16:12, KJV)? 

and even worse . . .

• Unfaithful stewards are stripped of their talent(s) and resources – ” ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’ (Matthew 25:28&29). 

Well Ladies, we’ve come to the end of our time together. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on stewardship as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it. It’s been great having you in my class – and you were a really good sport about the pop quiz. You may redeem all of your extra credit bonus points for a well deserved mom perk of your choice. I hope to see you soon.

Affectionately,

Ms. Tiffiney 🙂

“…whatever you do, do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

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