LIFE STEWARDSHIP
TREASURE TESTIMONY
RICK WARREN
BestSellingAuthorof thePurposeDrivenLife
Life Stewardship
God’s Vision for the Rest of Your Life
A Personal Welcome from Rick Warren
Dear Friend,
I’m delighted to welcome you to Purpose Driven Life Stewardship—an exploration of how managing all of life’s resources according to God’s purposes leads to extraordinary fulfillment and impact.
Twenty years ago, I wrote The Purpose Driven Life to help people discover why they’re alive. This book builds on that foundation by addressing a critical question: “Now that I know my purpose, how do I steward everything in my life to fulfill it?”
True stewardship extends far beyond money to encompass everything God has entrusted to us: our truth, time, talent, treasure, testimony, and trust. When we recognize that nothing in our lives truly belongs to us—that we’re managing resources on behalf of their true Owner—it revolutionizes our approach to everything.
Throughout these pages, you’ll discover how each of the five purposes God has for your life—worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission— provides a framework for faithful stewardship. You’ll learn practical ways to align your calendar, your capabilities, your cash, and your connections with God’s eternal purposes.
After working with church leaders around the world, I’m convinced that purpose-driven stewardship is the missing link between knowing your purpose and actually living it. This approach moves us from good intentions to intentional living.
My prayer is that this journey will equip you to manage every aspect of your life with eternity in view. May you experience the deep satisfaction that comes from hearing those words we all long to hear: “Well done, good and faithful steward.”
For such a time as this,
Rick Warren
“The
Part I
Biblical Foundations
earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1
Chapter One: Truth - God Owns Everything
It All Starts With God
This book isn’t about you. It’s about God.
More specifically, it’s about God’s ownership of everything—including you, your possessions, your time, your talents, and everything else you might be tempted to call “yours.” Understanding this simple but profound truth is the foundation for a life of purpose-driven stewardship.
I meet people every day who are living under the illusion that they own things. They work hard to accumulate wealth, possessions, influence, and accomplishments, believing these things belong to them. They make decisions based on what they want for their money, their time, their abilities. But there’s a fundamental problem with this thinking—it’s based on a lie.
The truth that will transform your stewardship journey is this: You own nothing. God owns everything.
THE MYTH OF OWNERSHIP
Why do we struggle with this concept? Our culture conditions us to think in terms of ownership. From early childhood, we’re taught to say “mine” and to protect what belongs to us. Our legal systems are built around property rights.
But God’s Word presents a radically different perspective:
“Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven
belongs to me.” — Job 41:11
“The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” declares the LORD Almighty. — Haggai 2:8
“Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” — Psalm 50:10
These aren’t just poetic expressions—they’re statements of cosmic reality. Nothing exists apart from God’s creative power and sustaining presence. Nothing persists without His permission. Nothing functions outside His sovereignty. You might say, “But I worked for what I have. I earned it through my own efforts.” Yet even your ability to work, the opportunities you’ve received, and the very breath in your lungs are gifts from God.
FROM OWNERS TO STEWARDS
When you embrace the truth of God’s ownership, everything changes. You’re no longer an owner but a steward—a manager of resources that belong to someone else.
This shift in perspective transforms:
1. How you see possessions – They’re tools entrusted to you for a purpose, not treasures to accumulate.
2. How you make decisions – The primary question becomes “What would the Owner want?” not “What do I want?”
3. How you handle anxiety – When something belongs to God, you can trust Him to care for it.
4. How you approach generosity – Giving becomes natural when you recognize you’re giving what already belongs to God.
5. How you view success – Success is measured by faithfulness to the Owner’s purposes, not by how much you acquire.
Think about it this way: If you were managing a store for someone else, you wouldn’t take money from the register for personal purchases without permission. You wouldn’t make major changes to the store’s operations without consulting the owner. You’d recognize boundaries around your authority.
In the same way, stewardship means recognizing the boundaries of your delegated authority and staying accountable to the true Owner.
THE DAY OF RECKONING
Jesus often told stories about stewards who would eventually give an account to their master. In Matthew 25, He tells the parable of the
talents—a story about a master who entrusts resources to his servants and then returns to see what they’ve done with them.
This wasn’t just a nice moral tale—it was a picture of our relationship with God. One day, each of us will stand before God and give an account for how we’ve handled everything He’s entrusted to us:
“So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” — Romans 14:12
This isn’t meant to terrify you but to focus you. Imagine hearing God say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Those words will make any temporary sacrifice or difficult decision worthwhile.
FIVE HARD QUESTIONS OF OWNERSHIP
To help you internalize this truth, consider these five questions:
1. If God asked for everything back today, would you struggle to give it? Your answer reveals whether you truly believe it belongs to Him.
2. Do you consult God in decisions about “your” resources? Your decision-making process reveals who you believe is the true owner.
3. How quickly do you come to God’s defense when His ownership is challenged? We tend to defend our rights as owners. Do you defend God’s rights with the same vigor?
4. Do you feel entitled to the resources in your care? Entitlement is a sure sign we’ve forgotten who the true owner is.
5. Are you more concerned with what others might think of your stewardship or what God thinks? The steward’s primary concern is the owner’s approval.
THE FREEDOM OF STEWARDSHIP
Here’s the paradox: When you release the illusion of ownership and embrace your role as a steward, you experience true freedom. You’re freed from the crushing weight of believing everything depends on you. You’re freed from the endless pursuit of more that never satisfies. You’re freed to enjoy God’s resources without being controlled by them.
Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). When you recognize God’s ownership, you’re freed from money’s mastery over you.
POINT TO PONDER: God owns everything; I own nothing.
VERSE TO REMEMBER: “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” — Psalm 24:1
QUESTION TO CONSIDER: In what area of my life am I most struggling to acknowledge God’s ownership?
PRAYER OF COMMITMENT:
Father, forgive me for the times I’ve acted as if I am the owner of what You’ve merely entrusted to me. Today I acknowledge that everything—my time, my talents, my treasures, my relationships, my influence, my very life—belongs to You. Help me to live as a faithful steward, making decisions that honor You as the true Owner. When I’m tempted to grip tightly to “my” resources, remind me of Your generosity toward me. I want to hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful steward.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.