Stewardship
Jesus has taught us to be stewards before his second coming. This can be seen in
Matthew 25:14-30 where Jesus tells the parable of the talents. Each one of the three
servants were given some money to take care of before their master returned: the
first servant doubled the amount, the second one did the same thing, but the third
servant buried his money so nothing would happen to it. The first two were
rewarded and the last was thrown into jail for not using the portion his master gave
him for the good of his kingdom. It is important to realize that even though this is a
parable it is still relatable to modern day life. On a company for example, if an
employee represents more expenses than earnings to the company (their sales are
not high enough or their job doesn’t make any significant difference to the
company’s income), they are more likely to be fired.
This parable that Jesus uses also teaches us that we need to be able to manage our
finances effectively. In the parable, Jesus stated that “…each servant was given the
talents according to their ability” (Matt. 25:15). There is a clear notion in this parable
that the servant that was given one talent was not capable of doing anything more
with it. The master entrusted each of these servants with the talents according to
their ability, the same as God entrusts us with the finances that He provides. Same
happens in working life, a company’s owner, its investors and/or shareholders invest
money and time confident that they will receive good results, profits and the growth
of the company. As good stewards and administrators, it is our responsibility to
achieve that by recruiting a capable workforce and equipment that will fulfill and
even exceed the expectations.
Today every person has been given something to serve God, but the big question is
how do we make sure we are using it wisely? When it comes to finances, today we
have the upper hand with all the technology and education. The best way to use
these resources for God’s glory is through accounting where every person and keep
records, spreadsheets, break even formulas, margins, ratios, pretax goals, and the
list can go on.
Regarding accounting and the Bible, it was thought that if records of assets were
not kept, then the workers of the company or even individual would then steal. If
the employees were to continuously steal from the owner, then the owner would
never make any profit from his company or work done. Therefore, due to the fact
the owner must make sure that profit is being made and not a loss they then have
come up with the accounting factor. Micah 7:5-6 stated “Put no trust in thy
neighbor, have no confidence in a friend.” This explains that if you financially take
care of your company, then it reduces the risk of the employees to steal from you.
Good recordkeeping is essential to good stewardship and proper management of
your personal and business finances. “The purpose of managerial accounting is to
provide useful information to managers of an organization. Managerial accounting
helps managers with three key tasks:
(1) determining the costs of an organization's products and services, (2) planning
future activities, and (3) comparing actual results to planned results (Wild).” If you
are not keeping a good account of your financial records, then how would you
know if you have been successful or not in your business? How would you know if
you will have the potential to have a company
that will profit or grow? No business can grow without ample knowledge, research, or
good accounting practices. Poor management of finances equals to failure.
Reference:
Accounting in the Bible. Hagerman, Robert L. (Fall 1980). The Accounting Historians
Journal.
From website: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40697656
Holy Bible, New International Version. Matthew 25: 14-30
