Stewardship of time and talent
"Time? Who has time these days. And 'talent' ... you've got to be kidding. I'm the least talented person I know." Have you ever thought something similar or heard it from someone else?
"So ... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 [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. Or perhaps your church would benefit from hosting just such classes for the community. Two common causes of "time stress" are over-committing yourself and placing the wrong priorities on what you do. Both are fixable problems, but you have to want to fix them.
"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."
- 1 Peter 4:10 [NRSV]
Stewardship of Talents
Everyone has talents. Are you hiding the light of your talent under a basket? You don't have to be the world's greatest singer, speaker, teacher, or world's greatest anything to have talents. Talents are those things we do well.
"We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us..."
- Romans 12:6 [NRSV]
"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."
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 [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. Old dogs can learn new tricks! Seek out a variety of tasks not just the same old one you have been doing.
You can improve your talents. In addition, you can 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.
"... try to excel in [spiritual] gifts that build up the church."
- 1 Corinthians 14:12 [NIV]
OK, so now you have the time and you have the talents. Where do you put them to work? Below are a few opportunities to use your time and talents to further God's work. You may also want to read articles about talent at the Good Steward.
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". The religious "ripples" that started at Pentecost changed the world. You too can be a part of that continuing ripple. When we care only for the needs of our own group, our church family, we fail to go "into all the world" as Jesus would have us do.
"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
- Matthew 25:40 [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.