This document discusses biblical financial stewardship principles. It emphasizes that God owns everything and we are merely stewards of what he provides. It recommends following John Wesley's three rules: earn all you can by working hard and diligently as unto the Lord; save all you can by budgeting and preparing for needs and emergencies; and give all you can through regular tithes to the church, offerings to support ministry, and giving to the poor. The goal is to use money in a way that honors God, grows our character, and stores up treasures in heaven through generosity.

1. Digging Deeper & Reaching Higher
through
STEWARDSHIP
(Understanding God’s
Principles for Financial
Stewardship)

2. “If you have not been
faithful in the use of worldly
wealth, who will entrust true
riches to you”
(Luke 16:11 NASB)

3. There are more credit
cards in the UK than
people.

4. More than 80% of
Britons admit to
regularly overspending.

5. 8.2 million British
adults are in serious
debt.

6. 90% of young people see
credit cards as a way to
spend more than they earn
or buy things they couldn’t
normally afford.

7. Because God cares for us He
gave us guidelines for handling
money. The Bible contains
more than 2,350 verses dealing
with money and possessions.

8. Jesus taught more about money
than almost any other subject.
He spoke of it in sixteen of His
thirty-eight parables.

9. What we do with our money
reveals much about our spiritual
lives. Jesus said “Where your
treasure is, there your heart will
be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

10. It is important first of all
for everyone of us to
recognise the difference
between ownership and
stewardship.

11. God is the owner.
We are the stewards.
Let us start by looking
at the difference.

12. God’s Part:
•1. God is the
Owner of Everything
(Psalm 24:1 – “The earth is the
Lord’s, and all it’s fulness”)

13. 2. God is in Control.
(Psalm 135: 6 – “Whatever the
Lord pleases He does, in
heaven and in earth.”)

14. 3. God will provide for our needs
(Philippians 4:19 – “My God shall
supply all your need according to
His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.”

15. Our Part:
•1. We are stewards of
God’s possessions
(A steward is a manager of
someone else’s possessions)

16. 2. We are to be Faithful
(1 Corinthians 4:2 – “Moreover it
is required in stewards that one
be found faithful.”)

17. 3. When we are faithful we will benefit
in three ways:
• 1. We will grow closer to Jesus
Christ.
• 2. We will develop godly character.
• 3. We will begin to have financial
stability.

18. John Wesley lived by three
financial rules in the18th Centure:
•EARN ALL YOU CAN
•SAVE ALL YOU CAN
•GIVE ALL YOU CAN

19. Let’s use these as the points for our message this morning:
• 1. Earn All You Can
• The Bible instructs us to work hard, as if
we work directly for the Lord (Colossians
3:23-25 – “Whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive the
reward of the inheritance for you serve the
Lord Jesus Christ)

20. In Proverbs 6:6-11, we are
told to study the ant to see a
model for our work ethic.
The ant displays the
following three
characteristics:

21. • INITIATIVE – The ant needs no
ruler to tell it to work.
• INDUSTRY – The ant works hard
preparing food for the future.
• INTEGRITY – The ant does not
labour for money or selfish gain.

22. • Earning all you can is not about
setting a goal to make more
money; it’s not about greed. In
fact, the Bible warns us about
greed. Timothy teaches that greed
brings all kinds of snares, and that
the love of money is the root of all
sorts of evil (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

23. • Earning all we can is about
working hard. It’s also about
earning more so we can invest
in important things. We will
look at this more in our point
“Give All You Can”.

24. 2. Save All You Can
• Saving is about preparing
for the future. The Bible
encourages saving. Note
the following guidelines for
saving money:

25. • A. Save REGULARLY
• B. Save for unexpected
EMERGENCIES.
• C. Save for longer-term NEEDS.
• D. Save for major PURCHASES.

26. •AVOID get-rich-
quick plans and
gambling
(Proverbs 28:22)

27. Budgeting Your Income
• In order to save all you can, you will
need to use a budget to manage
your money. Using a budget is
simply telling your money where you
want it to go, instead of guessing
where it all went!

28. • Sit down and write down all that you
need to spend your money on.
Determine which needs should take
priority in the budget, including any debt
that you have. Next, establish how
much money you can put into each area
before you spend anything. Write it
down on paper and stick to it.

29. • Repay what is borrowed
(Psalm 37:21 – “The wicked
borrows and does not repay, But
the righteous shows mercy and
gives.”). If you do have debt,
include it in your budget so you can
repay it as promptly as possible

30. 3. Give All You Can
• The Bible calls us to give generously.
We are never more like God than when
we’re giving. “For God so loved the
World that He gave…” Jesus celebrated
those who gave sacrificially, beyond the
call of duty. The following passages in
the Bible encourage us to give:

31. • 1. Give to the Church
through Tithing.
(Malachi 3:10, Matthew
23:23). Tithing is one tenth
of your income: Hebrews 7:6,
Proverbs 3:9-10.

32. • 2. Give to other Ministries
through the Church by
Offerings (Matthew 10:42,
Mark 10:29-30). This is
investing in the Gospel above
your regular gifts: Luke 6:38.

33. • 3. Give to the Poor
through the Church
(Proverbs 19:17). This is
sharing with people in
need, as though they were
Christ.

34. • In all three cases God considers our
gifts as giving to Him! We are placing
treasures in heaven. The Bible
teaches that giving is an investment in
which God promises a return to you
and for God’s Kingdom.
• Giving with the right attitude:

35. • 1. Give out of a heart of love.
(1 Corinthians 13:3, John 3:16)
• 2. Give cheerfully. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
• 3. Give to God regularly
(2 Corinthians 8:1-4)
• 4. Give proportionately
(2 Corinthians 8:11-15
• 5. Give regardless of your circumstances
(Philippians 4:10-19)