Stewardship

Time and Talents

"Time? I have no time. And 'talent'.. Ha! I'm the least talented person you know." Have you ever thought something similar yourself?

1 Corinthians 10:31
"So ... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." [NIV]

Stewardship of Time

God has given us all the same amount of time in a day, we all just choose to use it differently. Maybe you could benefit from some time management training. (Maybe you could talk your church into holding just such classes).

1 Peter 4:10
"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." [NRSV]

Stewardship of Talents

Everyone has talents. Are you hiding the light of your talent under a basket?

Romans 12:6
"We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us..." [NRSV]

1 Corinthians 12:4-6
"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone." [NRSV]

You have undiscovered talents. Here's the really big kicker -- you probably have talents you don't even know about. Just waiting for you to try them out. Never been a committee chairperson? Try it out. Never sung in the choir? Try it out. Seek out a variety of tasks not just the same old one you have been doing.

You can improve your talents. You can also develop the talents that you already have -- become even better. Good singers don't often get that way magically. They just keep practicing. Look for training opportunities. Seeking different ways to use your talents improves them and make the time spent more interesting for you.

1 Corinthians 14:12
"... try to excel in [spiritual] gifts that build up the church." [NIV]

Service in and through the church

Serve through Worship. Help with services. For instance, be a Greeter, usher, Worship Committee member, or Music Committee member. Help with Communion setup & cleanup. Assist in setup and cleanup for special services and events. Give of your musical talents. Develop your prayer life, both at home at at church. Worship often, and with a community of believers.
Serve through church programs. Music, education, Disciple class, Stewardship, Evangelism, ... Be active in the life of the church. Seek out fellowship within the church. Help sustain the church through fund-raising.
Serve through church projects. Some possible involvement: Building maintenance, cooking, grounds maintenance, help with the church library, transport church members when needed, babysitting, and working with youth. Help with a church Bake Sale, Flea Market, or other special event.
Serve through teaching. Help develop religious education programs. Teach a Sunday school class. Lead discussion groups. Teach a Disciple class.

Service beyond the church

Christian Stewards are to serve not only within their church but "into the world".

Matthew 25:40
"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." [NIV]

Help others. The young, the sick, the elderly, the handicapped, shut-ins ... the needy.
Promote social justice. Help change society for the better. Make the world a better place.
Care for the earth and its resources.
Evangelize. Spread the Word. Help with church visitation. Provide free Bibles or New Testaments for those who need them. Fund Bible for foreign languages. Fund missionaries -- those actively bringing the Word of God to other countries and parts of the United States.

Be a good steward of your time and talent

Recognize your gifts
Accept God's mission (see the Stewardship page)
Use your time wisely
Give of your time generously
Do your best
Develop existing talents
Flex your talent muscles - try out new ones.
Become a pipeline for God's love.

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This page was last edited February 18, 2008 1:55 PM