In simpler terms, stewardship is the responsibility for our God-given gifts: physical, spiritual and intellectual. In other words, it is the grateful and responsible us of all God’s gifts.

These gifts are a product of the Holy Spirit; therefore “Without the Holy Spirit there is no stewardship.”

We all own nothing, and as Job alluded, we came to this earth with nothing, and we will leave with nothing. All that we have has been given to us by God.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

From the above definition, one can tell that stewardship is an essential element of faith. A perfect understanding of our position in regards to all that surrounds will lead us to true faith in God.

All the doctrines we have as Seventh-day Adventists are embraced in stewardship. Whether it’s the doctrine of God (Theology), the doctrine of man (Anthropology), the doctrine of the church (Ecclesiology), the doctrine of Christ (Christology), the doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology) and the doctrine of the last days (Eschatology), all are summed up in Stewardship.

There are a few fundamentals of stewardship that one cannot ignore.

1. God is eternal and we are humans – understanding this will help us know that we own nothing. Job 11:7-9 brings about the concept of the “Wasness of God”. He has always been there and we are his creation. His is unfathomable, unsearchable, all because He is God.
2. We are stewards of life – the life that we live is not ours, it can be reversed and there’s nothing we can to stop it. So while we still have it, we must cherish it and bring the best out of it. Psalm 24:1 says “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
3. We are stewards of creation – the fact that we are created within space and time makes us understand our limitations. All that God put before us within the space must be taken care of, and time must be respected too.
4. Stewardship is from creation – many believe that stewardship began after the fall, which is wrong. Psalm 8:6 says “Thou made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” We were made to take care of creation even before the fall of man.

• Sin came as a result of failure in stewardship

5. We are stewards of the Sabbath – Ezekiel 20:12; Mark 2:27 points us the God who owns the Sabbath. We don’t have any authority over the Sabbath, it’s His.
6. We are stewards of Tithes and Offerings – Proverbs 3:9; Malachi 3:8, God is the giver of wealth. Any misuse of this wealth is considered robbery.
7. We are stewards of Talents – all the skills and talents we possess are God-given. Speeches, property, strength, influence, are all talents, and utilizing these to gratify self is failure on stewardship.

One might ask, “How long must I be a steward”, and the simple answer is “Occupy till He comes”. Never take your hand off the plough, because stewardship is not an event, but a lifestyle.