“Stewardship of Time”

Stewardship of Time

In the fast paced world that we live in today, one area of stewardship that is often overlooked is the stewardship of time.  Each day we are given 24 hours.  Many times days, weeks and months fly by us while we wonder in amazement where the time went.  The thing about time is that we cannot save some of it for the next day or put it in the bank and collect interest on it for a later date. 

With the increase of technological inventions, we have become accustomed to being on the go every waking minute.  The idea that we are not being productive if we are not busy every second of the day has been subtly and quietly implanted in our minds. 

Sometimes we may compare ourselves to the ant, or we may identify ourselves as busy bees or worker bees.  But the bee and the ant move with purpose.  There are times when we are constantly doing things but accomplishing nothing.  Relationships are not nurtured and strengthened because we do not take the time to enjoy people.  There is a feeling of laziness if we cannot validate every waking minute with a specific task.  We believe that if we take time to sit on the couch without a specific task to account for, we must be lazy, but it is important for us to implement balance in every area of our lives.  There are 3 areas regarding time that we need to be diligent in managing well:  time with God, time with family, and time with others. 

Time with God

Throughout the years, some believed that if they were not in church every day, they were short changing God.  However, nothing could be further from the truth.  God expects us to make the most of the time He has allotted to us.  He is looking for a balanced quality of time, not quantity of time.  God wants the biggest bang for His buck, so to speak. 

It is essential that we are consistent in allocating time in order to spend regular time with God.  This is crucial to the process of establishing an intimate relationship with Him.  Many preachers will study Scripture in order to develop a sermon to preach, but God is looking for us to study His Word to discover the essence of who He is so that we will be motivated to pursue Him and EXPERIENCE who God is.  In Mark 6:30-32, the Apostles of Jesus were so enthralled with the WORK that they were doing that they did not even take the time to eat.  Jesus invited them to come away with Him so that they could enjoy some much needed rest.  God wants us to cultivate a desire to KNOW Him and not simply know OF Him. 

There should be times when we have quiet time where we can be still and undistracted by things.  When we manage our time with Him, we learn how to make the most and best use of our time.  With the proper time management, we can accomplish more in one day with precise and purposeful actions than we could in 7 days of busyness.  Sometimes God is simply calling us away with Him so that WE can rest.

 "Financial Stewardship"

Spending

The final area of financial stewardship that we’ll take a look at is spending.  God is a God of balance.  While He expects us to give of our resources responsibly and manage the money He has provided us with by saving adequately, He has also given us a right to responsibly enjoy the money that He has blessed us with.  God has absolutely no problem with us enjoying what He has given to us.  Even though He did not give it to us to enjoy ONLY, He does permit us to enjoy ourselves.  Although we have the freedom to spend money, we should ask for wisdom to spend it wisely. 

Our nation has taught us to spend excessively without being responsible.  We are encouraged to obtain everything on credit without any concern for how our situation could possibly change six months, one year, or five years in the future.  While we may be presently financially stable, sickness, unexpected unemployment, or a number of other unforeseen circumstances can cause our financial status to change.  Different methods work for different people, but one method that I believe can work for anyone is the practice of not purchasing low price items on credit unless you have the money for the item in your bank account.  If you don’t have the money for the item, you can’t afford it.  When it comes to large ticket items such as a car, if you cannot pay it off in 3 years, it is out of your price range.

Many times our spending habits can cause us to become financial slaves and we end up being the tail instead of being the head (Deuteronomy 28:13).  We read in Proverbs 22:7 that, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”  In some situations, we believe that the devil has attacked our finances but, in actuality, those were the times when we failed to use wisdom in our spending.  One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to give us the ability to exercise self-control but we have to use it.

People tend to believe that walking in faith is purchasing an item that is more costly than their ability to pay for and expecting God to miraculously help them to meet the payments.  But walking in faith still requires responsibility and accountability on our part.  When we decide to make a purchase, we need to sit down and consider whether we can afford the item on our own without the assistance of others, a second job, or even without having to work overtime.  If we assess that we can afford the item after evaluating our financial capabilities, we use our faith to trust that God will continue to secure us just as He previously has.

When we seek God for His counsel in managing our finances and follow His instructions completely, we will generally benefit, profit, and prosper.  When we have managed our finances properly, we will be qualified to receive from God what He wants to give us.  God does not reward our irresponsibility by benefiting us.  We must first learn to be responsible.           

 "Financial Stewardship"

Saving

The next area that we will focus on in regard to financial stewardship is saving money.  In the day in which we currently live, patience is a thing of the past.  There is no desire to wait for anything; including money.  We want lots of money right NOW!  Proverbs 13:11 says, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.”  We develop patience as we are saving and watching our finances grow from a monetary infant to full grown financial maturity.  When we have taken the time to nurture the growth of our money, we tend to be more responsible with spending it.  Many times when others have gone through the process of saving and increasing their finances, lazy people desire to reap the benefits of that person’s labor and toil.  We read in Proverbs 12:22 that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just but the first part of that verse gives us more valuable insight.  It says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”  In order for us to be a financial blessing to our children’s children, we have to be diligent to save.  Proverbs 22:7 says, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”  The more responsible we learn to be in managing and saving money, the less financial “miracles” and “breakthroughs” we tend to need. 

In this modern era of Christianity, there has been an extreme amount of emphasis placed on teachings that involve the accumulation of wealth. One popular theme that has circulated throughout the church is that we must be out of God’s will if we are struggling financially.  However, this teaching is a dangerous fallacy.  The truth of the matter is that everyone WILL NOT be rich.  There are people who will live paycheck to paycheck, while others will have more than enough to spare.  God has not revealed to us why, in His sovereignty, He has selected some to have more and others to have less, but each of us are responsible for properly managing what we have been given.  Even with limit resources, when we are responsible enough to save, we can still enjoy the fruit of our labor. 

Saving has a spiritual component to it because it requires us to display a certain level of self-control.  Self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, opens the door to self-denial.  Self-denial is necessary in order for us to develop a relationship with Jesus.  He explains in Luke 9:23 that if we want to be His followers, we must first deny ourselves.  As we deny ourselves the things we may want today, we place ourselves in a position to have enough to acquire the things we may need tomorrow.  

 "Financial Stewardship"

Financial Stewardship

It is essential that we understand the importance of being responsible financial stewards over the money that God has entrusted us with.  Sometimes, this requires us to educate ourselves in understanding economics in order to handle money properly.  We also need to familiarize ourselves with what the word of God has to say concerning responsible money management.  The 3 areas in which we need to familiarize ourselves with regard to our finances are:  giving, saving, and spending.

Giving

Many times it is taught that 10 percent of our income belongs to God and 90 percent belongs to us.  In actuality, 100 percent belongs to God and He entrusts us to manage it properly.  We may make financial contributions to the ministry that we are a part of.  There are also times when we may give money to other ministries or individuals.  The bible informs us in Acts 20:35 that it is more blessed to give than to receive.  The reason why it is more blessed to give than receive is because generally in order to give, you have to have it.  On the other hand, waiting to receive generally denotes a need. 

Second Corinthians 9:7 says, so let each one give as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.  However, the application of wisdom is required when we decide to give.  It is not intended for us to give to people every time a need is expressed.  

There are times when God may be grooming someone to become better managers of their finances and He will withhold all of their financial backing.  In those situations, we will be in conflict with God if we provide them with any financial support.  God has given each of us a measure of financial ability and when we give, we need to give wisely.  When we are financially blessed by God, we are blessed in order to be a blessing in the lives of others.  However, there is a difference between blessing others and enabling others to be financially irresponsible.  If someone makes a practice of spending their rent money on clothes, it is not for intended for us to pay their rent in order to compensate for their irresponsibility.  The money that God has blessed us with is to help those who have a legitimate need.  Since we do not know each individual’s situation, it is important to pray for God’s guidance so that we can have wisdom to know how to respond whenever we are approached for money.

There have been individuals who have paid for expensive items for others with the understanding that they would be repaid.  Some have even used their credit to cosign for others.  However, they ended up being stiffed or left hanging by the ones they were attempting to assist.  The dishonoring of the agreement left them rightfully angry and while they may have had a legitimate grievance against that person, Proverbs 22:26-27 warns, “Do not be one who shakes hands in a pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.”  Also we are informed in Proverbs 17:18 that “A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, and becomes surety for his friend.”  There are two reasons why an individual needs a cosigner:  1) They simply do not have ENOUGH credit for their purchase or 2) They have MISMANAGED their credit. 

Finally, when it comes to ministries, we understand that they function off of the monetary gifts of people who watch, listen to or attend.  While God expects us to contribute to His multiple places of worship so that His work will be financed, there are ministries that should be allowed to dry up and close down.  People have given to ministries that have misrepresented themselves and that money would have been appropriately used at other legitimate ministries.  It is important to understand that America is a free nation and a person does not have to be a repentant follower of Christ in order to open a church, obtain a slot on television or have their voice heard on the radio.  Many people will contribute to a national virtual ministry without checking them out but not even support a local ministry.  When it comes to giving to various ministries, we need to seek God’s counsel as to where our money should be given.   The use of wisdom is required even when we endeavor to display our generosity for the kingdom’s sake.