I know that Dave Ramsey is a financial guru and has a plan on how we as Christians should be a good stewart. He is anti-settlement but I can definitely see how settlement and his theory of paying one debt at a time could be related.
Can you give examples in your opinion of what a good stewarts look like?
I think that Dave Ramsey offers some good advice on how to manage money, but I am not certain I would agree that he has a plan on how Christians should be a good steward. His Financial Peace University certainly explores spiritual concepts but I think that where true stewardship is concerned his program has one major shortcoming. That shortcoming has to do with the question of ownership.
At the core of Christian (or Biblical) stewardship is the concept that God owns everything and we have simply been entrusted to manage it as His stewards. (see Psalms 24:1, Haggai 2:8, and Deut. 8: 17-18)
In contrast, most all financial programs operate from the view that we have ownership of the things in our lives, but need to learn to manage our posessions better. From that viewpoint we are simply trying to become better stewards of our own possessions, rather than better managers of God's property that He has entrusted to us.
The American Heritage dictionary defines a steward as "someone who manages another's property, finances, or affairs." This is the same view of stewardship described in Mathew 25: 14-30 and again in Luke 19: 11-27.
This concept of ownership may seem trivial to some, but it is key to developing a proper sense of appreciation and grattitude for what we have. This appreciation empowers true prosperity and enables us to share what God has blessed us with more generously.
...I can definitely see how settlement and his theory of paying one debt at a time could be related.
Your post illuminates a very important point. Often times our problems become overwhelming because they all scream for our attention at the same time. Learning to get our problems to line up makes them easier to deal with and eliminates a lot of needless stress.
If we want to stay focused on being good stewards, we must learn to follow that example and not let the "enemy" distract or confuse us.
Thanks Dave the debt doctor. Are all financial gurus named Dave?
It does seem to be a popular name (lol) However you can get good financial advice from a host of others with names like Suze, Robert, Donald, etc. Just be careful about the ones named "Jones" "Co-worker" and "Neighbor."
