Managing Resources for God’s Glory

Text: Psalm 24:1

Interesting Acrostic from “The Stewardship of Life” by Kirk
Nowery

V VISION
I INFLUENCE
C COMMITMENT
T TIME
O OPPORTUNITY
R RESOURCES
Y YOU

The purpose of the acrostic is to remind us that the way to

win in life, the way to experience true victory, is through
effective life management [stewardship].

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to faithfully

manage the trust (Time, talent, and treasure) that we’ve
been given by God. We are responsible for the sum total of
“all that we are” and “all that we have”. It’s a sacred trust
because God Himself gave it to us, and His intention is that
we manage it in a way that pleases Him and yields the
greatest return for His glory and kingdom.

One of the areas of life-management involves our

management of resources and our generosity with it. Jesus
taught parables on this subject and apostles wrote about
it. All of our monetary and material resources are to be
dedicated to the Lord and managed for His glory.

Where do we start managing money for God’s glory? First,

understand that…
1. Everything Belongs to God – Psalm 24:1 NIV

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“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world

and all who live in it.”

a. God owns 100%

“First of all, I think 10% is too small. I fight the
concept that God owns 10% and I own the 90%.
God owns it all.” – Ron Blue

b. That Includes Me
Psalm 100:3 – “We are His people…”
Isaiah 43:1 – “You are mine.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “You are not your own, for
you were bought at a price.”

The management of resources is a serious business: and

God’s will is that we give it serious attention. This demands
that we have the right perspective on our resources, and
that is possible only if we have the right focus on our
source.

Secondly, understand that…

2. God is the Source of our Resources – James 1:17
“Every good gift…is from above.”
1 Chronicles 29:14 – “But who am I, and who are my
people, that we should be able to give as generously as
this? Everything comes from you, and we have given
you only what comes from your hand.” NIV

God is our faithful supplier; and His plan is that we

manage faithfully. Take Inventory…
a. Monetary Resources
i. Income, bank accounts
b. Material Resources
i. Home, vehicles, etc.

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Take inventory so that we can have the right

attitude towards all resources.
c. To count God’s blessings
d. To dedicate these resources to Him
e. To have a Right attitude: “stewardship” and not
“ownership”
i. We are “managers”, not owners, and
managers must be faithful – 1 Cor. 4:2 NLT
f. Note: Tithing is first and foremost, an act of
worshipful recognition of God as our source of our
existence and all blessings. – Deut. 8:17-18

Thirdly, understand the…

3. Why We Give
a. Because we love Jesus
i. It all begins with the heart
1. We are to serve God with joy and
gladness of heart for the abundance of
everything – Deut 28:47
ii. We keep His commandments about giving
1. “God can have our money and not have
our hearts, but He cannot have our
hearts without having our money.” – R.
Kent Hughes
iii. When you love, you willingly give—like the
Corinthians are admonished (2 Cor. 8-9)
b. Because God’s word commands us to give
c. To promote God’s mission on earth

Fourthly, understand the…

4. Investment Strategies that Lead to Success
God wants us to invest our resources in a way that
brings the greatest return, spiritually speaking.

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a. Three Ways to Manage Resources for God’s Glory

i. Give cheerfully to accomplish God-honoring
purposes – 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
“…God loves a person who gives cheerfully. 8 And
God will generously provide all you need. Then you
will always have everything you need and plenty
left over to share with others.”
1. The ongoing needs of New Life’s ministry
are met through regular and consistent
giving.
a. “Return the tithe” to God
b. Tithing is a responsibility, not an
option
c. Returning the tithe expresses:
i. I am honoring God by placing
Him first
ii. Faith in God’s Word today
iii. Confidence in God’s Word for
the future
d. I am partnering with my fellow New
Lifers to accomplish God’s work

Note: Extraordinary needs, though, are met

through extraordinary giving

2. We can all give generously, joyfully, and

sacrificially
a. God’s measurement is in proportion
to what we have been given: “To
whom much is given, much is
required.” – Luke 12:48
b. Smaller gifts can represent even
more of a sacrifice than a large gift

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ii. Spend it reasonably to meet personal needs

and a few personal wants
iii. Save it strategically in order to extend value
and to keep meeting needs in the future

b. Three Ways to Use Your Resources

i. Enjoy them, but don’t cherish them
1. “Set your affections on things above, not
on earthly things.” Colossians 3:2
ii. Share joyfully, not reluctantly – 2 Corinthians
9:7-8
1. The blessing is in the attitude of “joy”.
iii. Think like a pilgrim, not a settler
1. The heroes of faith “…embraced them
[promises] and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” –
Hebrews 11:13
2. “This world is not my home…my
treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond
the blue.”
a. “Don’t store up treasures on earth,”
Jesus said. “Store them in heaven.”
Matthew 6:19-21
3. “Your citizenship is in heaven.”
Philippians 3:20

Fifthly,
5. Think Biblically
a. I must watch out for greed – Luke 12:13, 15
i. It’s not about things; it’s about people.
ii. It’s not about us; it’s about God.
b. Even my little investment can make a big
difference – Mark 12:42-43
i. Like the widow’s mites

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ii. Whatever the size of the resource, it can be

used to honor God and accomplish His
purposes
iii. “What God can do with 57 cents – Temple
Baptist Church and Temple University
c. I can be winner and still be a big loser – Luke
9:25
i. There is no profit in gaining the world and
losing your soul
1. “Many people have had to learn in their
private lives…that perhaps the worse
form of tragedy is wanting something
badly, getting it, only to find it empty.” -
Henry Kissinger
ii. Gain in this world only has true value if it is
invested and managed with eternity in mind
d. I have to give an account to God – Matthew
25:14-30
i. Every individual must give account for
themselves – Romans 14:12
ii. I need to manage money in a way that will
prepare me to stand before Jesus
iii. I don’t want to be a thief – Malachi 3:
e. I can multiply my “trust” by trusting the
multiplier – Luke 6:38; Luke 19:17
i. Overflowing trust – God will use others to
bless you
ii. Floodgates open trust – Malachi 3:10-12 NIV
iii. “Faithful in little; placed over much” –
Matthew 25:21
iv. Luke 19:17 - "'Well done!' the king exclaimed.
'You are a good servant. You have been
faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you

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will be governor of ten cities as your reward.'

NLT
v. Faith is foundational to effective money
management.

Conclusion
“The challenges of life can seem so overwhelming during
these times, but we have to put it all in proper perspective
—an eternal perspective. The management of resources is a
temporal responsibility, but its impact and its importance
are eternal.