Stewardship is often defined as everything we do
after we say, “I believe.”
stew•ard•ship
Pronunciation: 'stü-&rd-"ship, 'styü-; 'st(y)u(-&)rd-
Function: noun
1: the office, duties, and obligations of a steward
2: the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care <stewardship of our natural resources>
- We are God’s; ALL of our being belongs to God, our bodies, minds, and spirits
- All of our time, talents, and treasures are from God, for God, and the Property of God
- We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.— Winston Churchill
- No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. — Calvin Coolidge
Stewardship is usually referred to as Time, Talent, and Treasure.
It is much more – it is a way of life. Stewardship consists of receiving God’s gifts gratefully and sharing abundantly God’s gifts.
It is a responsibility of any Christian community to form its members in responsible stewardship and in sacrificial giving. While the results of sound stewardship is to meet the needs of others; the maintenance of the church facilities for future generations, aid to the poor, comfort to the sick, education to the ignorant, the reason for sound stewardship is the transformation of the believer. The joy of Christian discipleship is centered in the mature and extreme commitment of a faithful steward of the Lord. Many Christians live on the edges of their parish, peeking in once a week and wondering what all the fuss is about. Disciples cast out into the deep and entrust their lives to Christ. This journey begins with the responsibility of stewardship.
The vision of the stewardship programs at Holy Spirit is to for this parish community into a place:
- where all of its members become joyful, sacrificial givers.
- where people put their talents and spiritual gifts to work.
- where people sacrifice a portion of their time and wealth to serve God, our community, and each other.
- where God's work is always obvious with abundant opportunities to serve and get involved.
- where people have ownership in the ministries because THEY are the ministers.
- where people are taught to lead, and provide the resources to empower their roles as ministers.
- where people sacrifice their time, talent, and treasure to glorify God and to make things happen for God's kingdom in Northern Virginia.
Time is the heritage of every person. Whether a king or street sweeper, an astronomer or truck driver, a business tycoon or grocery clerk, each of us has the same number of hours.
Many necessities and opportunities demand much of our day. Our work takes up a large percentage of our life. Being a good husband or wife, father or mother, employer or employee requires time.
As Christians, we have spiritual priorities as well. How many hours or days in a month should we set aside for discipleship and the ministries of the church? What about caring for the poor, the orphans, and widows as God's Word commands (James 1:27; Galatians 2:10)?
With all these tasks competing for our time, how can we balance our responsibilities to fulfill our temporal and spiritual duties?
As a good steward, you must manage your time wisely. Let me suggest a way to accomplish this task that Christians seldom consider today - tithing your time.
Tithing reflects a thankful, obedient attitude and acknowledges God as the source and owner of all that we possess. A voluntary act of worship, tithing teaches us to put God first. A faithful steward serves because he has such a heart for God. As we have seen, everything we have is a gift from God. Every second of every minute, every minute of every hour, twenty-four hours a day belong to Him. Although God's Word does not specifically require us to tithe our time, our Lord did command us to put Him first in all things (Matthew 6:31-33). Giving back a percentage of our time enables us to give God priority and assurance that we will fulfill our service to Him.
The most fundamental biblical strategy for the stewardship of time is the Sabbath. One day out of seven is meant for rest and spiritual renewal. It is, in Jewish thought, a time to refrain from using God’s creation in any way: not by lighting lamps, plowing fields, or working animals. Keeping the Sabbath is a silent testimony to certain biblical truths:
- We must honor our bodies by keeping sensible schedules and getting the rest we need.
- We must make time to attend to our spiritual needs as well as our physical and emotional needs. Prayer and meditation on the word of God must be built into our schedules.
- It is permitted to say No, and sometimes it is mandatory. Overscheduling our lives is unhealthy and dishonors God.
- God will provide enough time to work, rest, love our families, and attend to all of our other responsibilities.
- We can enjoy the freedom of the Sabbath as a foretaste of our eternal rest with God.
We become wise stewards of time by honoring the rhythms for which God created us:
- A daily rhythm of prayer, work, and rest.
- The weekly rhythm of Sabbath (whenever and however we observe it) and ordinary days.
- The yearly rhythms of our economic and spiritual lives: the school year, the busy season at work, the celebrations of the liturgical calendar, etc.
- The lifespan rhythms of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age.