Biblical Stewardship Starts with the Heart

I’ve been thinking a lot about Biblical stewardship lately and where good stewardship starts.   A lot of gurus and personal finance books would have you believe changing your finances starts with you.   Is that accurate?

I always loved being on the soccer field growing up and playing competitively on a select, high school and college team.  In fact, soccer was almost a distraction for me because it’s all I thought about day in and day out.  School and most other things were second in thought.  Today, I still have a passion for the game, but it’s no longer my top priority.  Many other things in my life are more important including my faith, family and other relationships.

Why did I enjoy playing soccer so much?  I had the heart for the game.  I practiced a lot and became good enough to earn a scholarship for college, but just practicing wasn’t enough to get me there.  I had a love for the game that gave me the desire to work hard and play as much as I could.

I think you’ll agree you can find a lot of practical financial tips around the Internet today and in books.  Providing practical financial tips is also a content goal for this blog.  But truthfully, it’s not the tips that will make you a good steward of God’s resources.  Learning the tips are important, but being a good Biblical steward requires putting into action what you learn from God’s word.

As with soccer, or really anything else you want to excel with in life, you must have a heart for it.  If you don’t, you’ll lose interest or just go through the motions.  It’s your heart that makes the difference.  Biblical stewardship is having a heart for God’s word and the desire to put into practice His principles in our lives each day.

Changing bad habits in managing your finances requires changing your heart first.  You’ll often hear gurus tell you it all starts with you!  They claim changing you first and your bad habits is what will help people get out of debt and avoid repeating the same mistakes twice.  Actually, I disagree.  I believe changing your heart is where you start and it begins with prayer and God’s word.

How do you change your heart and become a better Biblical financial steward?  I can’t give you a set of practical steps to change your heart other than learning and listening to God’s word about money.  If you let God’s word speak to you, I believe God and the power of His word will change you.  Eventually, your bad habits will be less desirable in your everyday life.  You’ll have the desire to live for God first and follow his principles and plan for your life.

Becoming a better Biblical steward starts with reading scriptures about money and praying for God to lay heavily on your heart what you need to address in your own life.  You can then start changing your behavior and implementing all the practical financial tips.

Visit the Christian Personal Finance resource page to learn more about Biblical stewardship as well as check out the below scriptures about money.  I’ve also writen a special report to help you learn more about what the Bible says about money.

• God’s Part and Our Part (Ownership and Stewardship)
• Debt
• Contentment and Peace
• Giving and Saving
• Family

What do you think about Biblical financial stewardship and where it starts in your life?  Do you agree it starts with your heart?

Photo by DRGBB.

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