Justice for the Poor: A Question of Stewardship – The Kingdom Curriculum XVIII (3)

Justice for the Poor: A Question of Stewardship

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.” Leviticus 25:23

The use of personal property under the Law of God must always be pursued with the mindset that nothing we possess has come to us of our own strength or wit. God is the Giver of every good and perfect gift (Jas. 1:17). He bestows gifts of culture, creativity, and productivity on all people (Ps. 68:18). In the work of men God has left a witness to His goodness, power, wisdom, and mercy (Acts 14:17). Work and its fruits are the blessings of God, bestowed out of the greatness of His grace (Eccl. 2:24).

Thus all work implies a stewardship, and believers in Jesus Christ must be especially careful and diligent to make the most of this stewardship for prospering the land, meeting their own needs, and having resources available to care for those who fall on hard times (Eph. 4:28).

Like the stewards in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14-30), believers must put their gifts and opportunities to work, faithfully serving God and seeking a return on their investments of time, treasure, talents, and strength (Ps. 90:12, 16, 17). The more each believer exercises proper stewardship over his gifts, resources, and opportunities, the greater the blessings of God will abound to him, and to the community of which he is a part. Members of the Body of Christ must seek the welfare of the larger community of which they are a part, taking an active interest in whatever avenues of service or investment are available to them for helping to bring the beauty, goodness, and truth of God to light in the community. Among these, Christians must help to ensure that resources are available at the community level to assist any who may fall into poverty and need the help of their neighbors.

Thus, the more churches can encourage good stewardship on the part of their members and within their community, the more those communities can expect to prosper–if not always materially, then certainly in the kind of generous and neighborly spirit that makes up for material deficiencies in ample and caring ways. Critical to this will be teaching people to trust the Lord for all their daily blessings, to look to Him to meet their every need, and to prepare them to care for their neighbors as needs and opportunities arise (Deut. 26:15).

Reading and meditating on the Law of God is every believer’s duty and privilege (Ps. 1). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compendium of the commandments and precepts of God’s Law, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.