CHAPTER 9: THE MYTH OF STEWARDSHIP 2026
Example #1: Bob gets up in the morning, takes a shower, has a coffee with the wife, gives the kids a ride to school and off to the office. Bob feels pretty good, Saturday there’s a barbecue for some friends in the backyard and Sunday he’s gonna trim the trees in the front yard. The house is finally looking pretty good. The mortgage is caught up and Bob decided to take out a second to fix up the kitchen, still got a little savings in the bank, might use it for a new television. Bob’s reading a pamphlet about investments, he’s about half way through it and is getting some pretty good ideas. Bob’s listening to a self help book on the way to work. Bob’s feeling pretty good about things. He’s figuring it out, finally. Feels pretty good. (pause) When Bob got in the office, he smiled, said his good morning’s and then Bob got laid off. They gave him two weeks pay.
Example #2: Ralph goes to church pretty regularly. He even serves on the Worship Team now and then as a baritone. Ralph has a pretty good company, goes to work everyday and struggles to pay bills. He’s confident that things will turn around. Bob doesn’t have a lot of time to read the bible but does when he can and listens intently at church when he goes, the wife takes notes if he needs to refer to anything, which is virtually never. Although work is steadily coming in, machinery and equipment needs work. Saturday and Sunday is set aside to catch up on some paperwork and maybe taking a stab at fixing the equipment himself. Ralph has taken a second on the house to make up for slow times at work and a cash advance loan that will make payroll this week. Things are getting better. Ralph’s wife is concerned but Ralph explains to her, that finally the money they’ve invested from the second on the house and cash advance, they’re almost caught up, might even be in for a bonus. In the morning, Ralph gets into the office and is served a letter from the IRS regarding back taxes. He checks the bank accounts and finds them empty, realizing the cash advance company has taken out their first daily payment.
Both of these are examples of Myth of Stewardship. But they started with integrating ideas that gave a false sense of security. I’ll give an example at the end of a better way of looking at things. Neither were talking to God about anything, one may have been an atheist, the other a comfortable believer. That doesn’t mean that anything would’ve been any different as far as the challenges, it does mean, there’s a third example I will give at the end.
Out of Chapter 8, integration, we learned there are two incoming streams of information. One is good, one is not. We can get the two confused. We can think good is bad or bad is good or even that bad is supported by good, or we can simply be unconscious of everything around us. The most stark reality is that even the best of us, not just Bob and Ralph, can fail, even with prayer, bible, fellowship, still we make mistakes, integrate wrong information and take incorrect paths. Moses made mistakes, David made mistakes, King Saul made mistakes, Peter the apostle made mistakes. All of them were on fire for the Lord and they made mistakes. When I realized this, I fear, in terror that I too, could make a mistake that would send me back to the insanity God had saved me from, a life I don’t want anymore, habits I don’t want anymore.
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
A righteous man of God is unstoppable. Had David not been a righteous man of God, Goliath would’ve squashed him like a bug. The problem? Sometimes people believe they are righteous and unstoppable, and they are mistaken. I call it Chapter 9 Myth of Stewardship caused by Chapter 8 Integration of bad information. Let’s dive in. Everybody thinks they’re going to heaven. Everybody thinks they’re doing a great job. All of you felt that way right up to the bankruptcy. The guy at the top always says, “I did all I could do, it wasn’t my fault, I don’t get it, what happened was this or that, or something, it wasn’t me.” In the end, it is in fact the owner that brought the company into perilous waters, believing things are okay, decisions are good. That was not true.
I recognize now, that it is possible to misdiagnose all areas of my life, not just business. It is possible to work extremely hard everyday and fail catastrophically. I could handle my entire christian life incorrectly, thinking it was okay and it’s not. Really scary. You see, we learn what we learn and then become comfortable with it. I can mix up right and wrong because I’m, ..comfortable with my own way of thinking. And then I get slammed in the face. Without correct thinking, I am living life without a net.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
How many misunderstand the gospel so they change it’s meaning, re-invent the Word, seek out ill-gotten fellowship to shore-up whacky ideas? My cousin, my dear cousin, told me yesterday that the whole bible is a sham and that she’s found the one true way to God and the correct questions to ask, and that she and her group have answered the mysteries of God. I pray for her. Look nobody believes that they are doing anything to end up in hell, no different, than nobody believes that borrowing more money would tank the company. But somewhere along the line, right became wrong in the name of right. How many people go to church every Sunday, serve in a ministry, and end up damned? I don’t know, but it’s a scary thought. Scripture says, “the road is narrow and few find it.” In chapter 9, I’m outlining a human trait that we all experience. We get it wrong, and we think we are the example of all good. We don’t stop and think that our arrogance is getting the best of us. We don’t think it arrogant at all, just working life, doing the best a person can do.
Romans 2:19-21 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?
Nobody thinks they steal from their companies, but you are. When a company is negative, you’ re taking money from it, not making money. In the end, no matter how hard you work “incorrectly,” it will never pay correctly.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We have a whole generation of grown children who know nothing of the history of America or the Bible. An entire generation that believes socialism is the new “correct stewardship” to a nation built on Judeo/Christian values. Nobody’s worried about Hell or the bible. Hell is old news and democratic socialism is the way to go. How could this end well? Look, like I’ve said even when you’re doing everything right, life is challenging and mistakes are made. But when you intentionally do it wrong, in the name of right, false is still false and that is the gospel Truth.
Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the [a]nations that forget God.
I remember a bible verse about a King who thought he was doing everything right. He wasn’t. A floating hand appeared in mid-air and wrote this on the wall right in front of him. “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Peres.” (Menae, Menae, Tekel, Parsin..)
Daniel 5:24-28 God has numbered the days of your kingdom and has brought it to an end. He has weighed you on his balance scales, and you fall short of what it takes to be king. So God has divided your kingdom between the Medes and the Persians.
That very night Belshazzar’s kingdom was overthrown and the king himself murdered. Belshazzar believed everything was okay, until it wasn’t. Myth of Stewardship.
Why does this happen, believers, non-believers?
People disagree with the Truth.
Does that change the Truth?
NO.
Revelation 20:15b and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
Doesn’t that scare people? No, it doesn’t scare them because nobody reads it anymore. And if they do, how many disagree? Does that change the Truth? No. I tell you all now, I do not have a simple solution for Chapter 8 Integration or Myth of Stewardship, but I do have a suggestion. Be terrified by it. Perhaps in that fear, awareness will be heightened, and preparation will be more fierce, so that when it comes we will be ready. Pray He remove stubborn selfish purpose and give clarity to the true and accurate Truth of God’s will, not a Myth integrated into my walk.
1 Peter 2:16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.
2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Myth of Stewardship. Judas hung himself on a tree, Pharaoh died in pursuit of the jews, the Pharisees promised hell by Jesus himself. How good they all felt, large and in charge, before the harsh reality made itself known. “The Who,” a rock band in the 70’s wrote a great song, reminds me of this chapter. It’s called “Won’t get fooled again.” June 1971, dig these lyrics.
“I’ll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play….
Just like yesterday
Then I’ll get on my knees and pray
We don’t get fooled again”
2 Corinthians 2:11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
A quote by J. C. Ryle: “To know that we are being led captive, is the very first step toward deliverance.” –
Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
Chapter 8 and 9, they fit together, Integration and Myth of Stewardship. For me I stay afraid, aware, vigilant, prayerful…, and yes, of course, read the book and still, “something wicked this way comes…” and I pray I be ready.
James 1:14 – “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”
Example #3: Buck got up this morning, earlier than the rest of the family. He spent some time discussing with the Lord his gratitude for a good nights sleep and requested direction moving into the challenges of the day. As he made coffee, quietly, as to not awaken the house, he sipped it over the next set of verses in Matthew. He read about demon possessed men and Jesus, the Messiah who healed them. He prayed that he recognize, the frailty of his life and the gift of his life. He prayed for his family to know the Lord better than him. He prayed for his work to glorify the Lord for as long as he breathes. He prayed for protection against the enemies snares. He prayed sorrowfully, that the bills staring at him in the face, were his to do and asked that the Lord be with him, that he be given the strength to be a light in a dark world. I would say, Buck has a chance to beat chapter 9, for at least today, tomorrow is yet another story. Amen.
