I had to think deeply about what I was reading from the late business leader and spiritual mentor Fred Smith. Not only for me personally but for our ministry work. Let me explain.

In a recent blog of some of Fred Smith’s writing published by his daughter Brenda, Fred talked about money, and some of the misconceptions people have about it. He often taught his children that “Money is option. With it, you have a multitude of choices. Without it you are limited.” Smith went on to say, “…money does not bring with it the sense of responsibility needed to choose the right options. When we get into trouble, it isn’t money that is the cause, but irresponsibility and poor decisions. The best use of money requires character.”

OK, so far, I am with Fred Smith. But here is where I had to give some deeper thought. Smith says that money is not a blessing. In fact, he goes on to say he is suspicious of those who say they are “blessed” with money. He believes those people think they are at least partially responsible for that blessing, and that they “congratulate” God on His choice of someone to receive His blessing. I know I have often referred to financial blessings both personally and for the ministry.

So how should we think about the financial resources God places in our hands? Yes, we are blessed when someone gives to our ministry, but Fred Smith says there is a better way to think about these resources. “The person who refers to money as a stewardship with which they are entrusted is more likely to use it more wisely and unselfishly.”

I like that. Jesus had parables about those who are stewards of funds. He greatly commended and rewarded those who were good stewards. Jay Link at Taylor University writes, “When you are a faithful steward of someone else’s resources, there is nothing more appropriate for you to do than to routinely examine how effectively you are carrying out His responsibilities.”

Being a steward is a recognition that all our resources belong to God. If He chooses to leave some of them in our hands, we need to have the mind of a good and faithful steward of those resources. In one of those parables of Jesus, the Lord spelled out what would happen when a good steward did his job with others in mind.

A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

Luke 12:42-43 NLT

As I think about the financial resources we are entrusted with, we can acknowledge that we have received a blessing. But we should quickly move on to our responsibilities as good stewards of those resources. Shift our focus. God will reward it. And He reminds us there are responsibilities that go with the blessing. Jesus concluded His parable with these words:

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Luke 12:48b NLT

Let’s work at being responsible stewards. Believe me, the Lord will notice.

God’s best,