Martin Luther wrote that for proper stewardship, “there are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, mind, and the purse.” Deut. 13-15 explains proper stewardship begins with loving God (conversion of the heart). It continues with confronting sin and eating healthy (conversion of the mind). It concludes with paying the firstfruits of your earnings, giving generously to the poor and showing consideration to employees (conversion of the purse). Stewardship involves surrendering time, talent and treasure to God as you spend time with Him.
Love God
Do not listen to prophet or dreamer who correctly predicted a miracle if he told people to follow other gods. This was God’s test to find out whether they loved Him with all their heart and soul to obey and serve Him only. That prophet or dreamer must be put to death to purge evil among them because he preached rebellion against God who redeemed people from the land of slavery in Egypt. If close relative of friend secretly enticed people you to worship other gods, put him to death so Israel would be afraid and not do evil thing again (Deut. 13:1-11). Love God with all your heart and soul so you can pray and confront sin in your family.
Confront Sin
If wicked men led a city astray to worship other gods, investigate thoroughly, put them to death, destroy both its people and livestock and burn the plunder in the middle of the public square along with the city as a burnt offering to the Lord as a ruin forever never to be rebuilt. The Lord would turn from His anger and show mercy, compassion and increase the numbers as He promised because of obeying His commands (Deut. 13:12-18). Pray and publicly confront church and community-wide sin so God shows mercy and compassion to multiply disciples of Christ.
Eat Healthy
Forbid cutting or shaving the front of peoples’ heads for the dead since they were holy and chosen by God as His treasured possession. Eat ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle and antelope along with animals with split hoof that chewed cud except camel, rabbit or rock badger. Do not eat pig since it was considered ceremonially unclean. Eat creatures living in water with fins and scales along with clean birds except eagle, vulture, falcon, raven, owl, gull, hawk, osprey, stork, heron and bat. Do not eat flying insects but eat any clean winged creature. Do not eat dead creatures but can give to an alien to eat or sell to a foreigner (Deut. 14:1-21). Eat healthy foods to demonstrate God’s holiness as His treasured people.
Pay Firstfruits
Eat the tenth of the grain, new wine and oil that the fields and firstborn of the herds produced each year at the place God chose as a dwelling to learn reverence for His name. If the place was too far, exchange the tithe for silver to buy cattle, sheep, wine or fermented drink and eat in the presence of the Lord. Do not neglect the Levites since they had no inheritance of their own. Every three years, all the tithes of that year’s produce would be stored so the Levites, aliens, fatherless and widows could eat and God bless the work of peoples’ hands (Deut. 14:22-29). Pay firstfruits from your earnings to learn reverence of God and provide financially for full-time vocational workers and the needy.
Give Generously
Cancel loans to fellow Israelites or brothers every seven years to proclaim the Lord’s time for canceling debts. There should be no poor among them for God richly blessed them in giving the land to possess as an inheritance if they fully obeyed all His commands. They would lend to and rule over many nations but borrow from none and none would rule over them. Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted to a poor brother, but be openhanded and freely lend whatever he needed. He could appeal to the Lord and the stingy person be found guilty of sin. God blessed the work of those who gave generously without a grudging heart. Be open-handed toward brothers and the needy even though would always be poor people in the land (Deut. 15:1-11). Give generously to the poor so God can bless the work of your hands.
Show Consideration
Let a fellow Hebrew slave go free with many resources according to the Lord’s blessing in the seventh year. God gave this command because of them being slaves and redeemed in Egypt. They took an awl and pushed it through ear lobe into the door of slaves and maidservants who wanted to stay for life. Setting servants free should not be a hardship since their service was worth twice compared to a hired hand. As a result, God blessed their owners in everything they did (Deut. 15:12-18). Show consideration and generosity to your employees.
Surrender Time, Talent and Treasure
Set apart every firstborn male of herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn oxen to work and do not shear the firstborn sheep but eat them in the presence of the Lord at the place God chose. A defective, lame or blind animal with a serious flaw was not sacrificed to the Lord but they ate it without the blood (Deut. 15:19-23). Surrender the best of your time, talent and treasure to God as you spend time with Him.
Consider how you are doing in the conversion of your heart, mind and purse for proper stewardship on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest:
1. Love God with all your heart and soul so you can pray and confront sin in your family
2. Pray and publicly confront church and community-wide sin so God shows mercy and compassion to multiply disciples of Christ
3. Eat healthy foods to demonstrate God’s holiness as His treasured people
4. Pay firstfruits from your earnings to learn reverence of God and provide financially for full-time vocational workers and the needy
5. Give generously to the poor so God can bless the work of your hands
6. Show consideration and generosity to your employees
7. Surrender the best of your time, talent and treasure to God as you spend time with Him
Ask God to develop your one or two lowest rated conversions related to stewardship.
