Rejecting the God of Comfort

Comfort is the idol many of us love to worship. Self-preservation, self-interest, and a life of ease have become top priorities in our world today. We rarely make decisions that purposefully compromise our comfort or convenience, because popular culture teaches us that looking out for our interests should be our top priority and is the necessary path to fulfillment and happiness.

The ideals of biblical stewardship cut across our natural desire to prioritize our own interests. In a culture in which luxury and material gain are the focus of the majority, what would cause people to deny themselves of anything? Why would people give away what they could keep? What intrinsically motivates Christians to engage in biblical stewardship?

Defining Terms

Stewardship is a word rarely used in common conversation today. It is typically reserved for religious contexts and therefore has the potential to lack clarity in definition. The Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology says, “A steward is a manager, and stewardship is management—the management of goods and gifts on behalf of another.”[1]

The Bible introduces us to humanity’s role as steward in its opening pages. God created a lavish paradise called Eden and gave Adam and Eve rights to it. In turn, they were to “tend and keep it” (Gen. 2:15). God gifted humanity with all the blessings needed for life and happiness, and in return they were privileged to guard and preserve His creation with tender care.

In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the famous parable of the talents. In this parable the stewards were asked to continue the mission of their master with the resources he had entrusted to them while he was not physically present to oversee the work. Illustrated in this parable is humanity’s continued role as stewards today. God is depicted as the master who, though not physically present, is working through His human agents to carry on the mission He began and continues to oversee. He has provided His servants with all the resources necessary for the successful completion of the work He started.

When Jesus was on this earth, He “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). He loved to relieve the suffering of afflicted humanity. He graciously taught the ways of God, preached the hope of heaven, and practically relieved the suffering of those around Him through His healing ministry (Matt. 4:23). Jesus modeled missional stewardship by using all His resources for the expansion of the Father’s kingdom on earth. When Jesus’ time on earth was closing, He commissioned His servants to continue the mission He had begun (Matt. 28:18-20).

What Motivates Giving?

Giving of oneself for the good of God and others is at the very heart of heaven’s philosophy. “The angels of glory find their joy in giving—giving love and tireless watchcare to souls that are fallen and unholy.”[2] There is only one thing that inspires heaven’s radical, self-sacrificing, all-encompassing giving: love. Love is the catalyst for heaven’s exemplary giving. Heavenly giving cannot be forced, coerced, or induced by a feeling of obligation. Love is the only motivation that can produce a heart willing and able to give of itself for the sake of others.

Jesus’ willingness to leave heaven for sinful humanity inspires believers to leave their lives of comfort so that others may encounter the beauty of Jesus Christ.

Paul clearly describes love as the motivating power in the believer’s life. “For the love of Christ compels us . . . that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). As we come to know the incredible self-sacrificing love of God, it pulls on our hearts in such a way that we long to return the same kind of love to God and others. Self takes a back seat in our lives, and we long to live for Jesus Christ. Love awakens love. Jesus’ willingness to leave heaven for sinful humanity inspires believers to leave their lives of comfort so that others may encounter the beauty of Jesus Christ.

The Joy of Giving

The more we get to know Jesus Christ, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we long to live like Him. Living like Jesus cannot be forced or derived from a sense of duty, but only from a response of love for the One who has poured out every conceivable blessing upon us. Inspired by a deep love for God, giving, self-sacrifice, and stewardship are no longer burdens, but joyous privileges.

David realized this joy when he said, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You” (1 Chron. 29:14). What a verse! David considered it an honor to give liberally back to God, recognizing that without Him he would have nothing.

Honest Confession About Stewardship

This is not the way I viewed giving or stewardship for many years of my life. It truly felt like a duty devoid of joy. I was relatively convinced biblically that it was important, but I certainly didn’t count it a privilege. What was I missing? Could it be that I had not experienced the love of God toward me in the way He desired? Was I so entitled that I was unable to recognize the gravity of God’s blessings to me?

As I have come to know the mercy, love, and grace of Jesus Christ for me, I have begun to experience an incredible transformation in my life. While I still have much to learn, what I have experienced thus far has caused me to see that all I have is a gift from God. Life, hope, joy, peace, talents, wealth, and much more are gifts from God that I am privileged to enjoy. Christ has redeemed my life from destruction and has crowned me with lovingkindness and tender mercy (Ps. 103:4). If not for the grace of Jesus Christ, I would be without hope in this world. The joy and peace I have come to know in Jesus Christ are unlike anything I experienced apart from Him. The love of Christ compels me to live out the heavenly principle of self-sacrificial giving. It is no longer merely a requirement, but an honor and a joy.

As I have come to know the manifold grace of God toward me, I long to help those around me experience the same. Like the apostle Paul, I am joyfully indebted to those who do not have a true knowledge of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:14), and I want to give everything I can so they too may have hope, joy, and peace in Him.

Biblical stewardship is intended to be, not a burden, but a joy. We are not simply to give for the sake of giving; our giving is designed to reunite fallen humanity with the God from whom they were alienated. Every time I see a person decide to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, I rejoice. There is an even greater joy in knowing that the Lord has used us as instruments to lead that person to Him. What a joy to know that the giving of your time, talents, and resources has contributed to this person knowing Christ. Stewardship has a very tangible missional impact on people’s lives today. What a privilege to be entrusted as stewards of God, giving of ourselves so others can experience the joy of knowing Jesus Christ as well!

[1] Raoul Dederen, ed., Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 2001), p. 651.

[2] Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Mountain View, Calif: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1898, 1940), p. 21.