Stewardship (Connect Study for June 15)

Stewardship

The Discipline in Focus

It is a biblical truth beyond all dispute: that all your money is God's (Psalm 24:1) and has been loaned to you as a steward to use in ways that maximize the glorification of God's mercy in the world (Matthew 25:14–30). And it is irrational to think that giving ten percent of that money to the church settles the issue of good stewardship. In a world of such immense need, and in a country of such immense luxury, and under the commission of such a powerful Lord, the issue of stewardship is not: Shall I tithe? but rather, How much of God's trust fund dare I use to surround myself with comforts? The question that Jesus drives us to ask again and again is not, "How much should I give?" but rather, "How much dare I keep?" How much time and money do we spend on ourselves and how much is being used wisely in worship of God.

In this study on Stewardship we want to look at two many areas to be a good steward in: time and money.

Time
When training ourselves for godliness our perfect picture of godliness is Jesus. And he used his time perfectly. So perfectly in fact that he was able to pray and tell God that all the work that had been given him to do he completed (John 17:4). If we desire to be more like Christ then it would be good for us to see reasons why we should be good stewards of our time.
1. Use Time Wisely “Because the days are evil” - Ephesians 5:15-16 - The natural course of our minds, bodies, and world is towards evil. Many things in our world actively try to steal our time and cause us to waste it. Unless we practice self-control we will drift towards time wasting. We need to be aware that we breathe God-ignoring air all day and we must make good use of our time because the days are evil.
2. In Preparation for Eternity - 2 Cor. 6:2 - In this life you must prepare for eternity because there will not be a second chance to prepare once you die. Are you prepared to find yourself standing before God?
3. Time is Short - James 4:14 - How long is your life compared to eternity?
4. Time is Passing - 1 John 2:17 - Time is always passing away. We cannot save time. Now is the time to discipline ourselves for godliness not later.
5. The Remaining Time is Uncertain - Proverbs 27:1 - We do not know how much time we have left on this earth. Our time is in God’s hands. We must plan accordingly.
6. Time Lost Cannot Be Regained - John 9:4 - If you use unwisely the time you have been given you can never get that time back. Do not waste your life.
7. You Are Accountable to God for Your Time - Romans 14:12 - “So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God.” All people, believers and non believers, will be held accountable for the use of their time. As believers the penalty for our sinful use of time has been paid by Jesus but our eternal reward will be related to our earthly use of time. (see 1 Cor. 3:13-15).
8. Time is so Easily Lost - Proverbs 26:13-14, Proverbs 24:33-34.
9. We Value Time at Death - If you suddenly realized you had no more time left would you regret how you have spent your time?
10. Time’s Value in Eternity - Richard Baxter once said, “Does it not tear their very hearts forever, to think how madly they consumed their lives, and wasted the only time that was given them to prepare for their salvation? Do those in Hell now think them wise that are idling or playing away their time on earth?”

Money
The Bible first wants us to use our money in such a way that our needs and the needs of our family are met (1 Tim. 5:8) Let me qualify that by saying the word “needs” does not refer to those who think they “need” things that they really just lust after (bigger house, Playstation 3, new clothes, jewelry, cell phone, nice car etc).

The way we use our money says a lot about us. It is crucial to our growth in godliness because it is a matter of obedience. We are commanded first not to love money and to use our money for the glory of God and out of love for our neighbor (it is more blessed to give rather than receive).

Here are 10 New Testament Principles on Giving.
1. God Owns Everything - Psalm 24:1, Job 41:11 - We are managers of what God has given us. Everything that we think is ours alone is really owned by God.
2. Giving is an act of worship - Phil 4:18 - We worship through giving in that when we give to God all we have we are saying that we value God above all things.
3. Giving reflects faith in God’s provision - Mark 12:41-44 - The amount of your income (allowance from parents or from a job) that you give back to God reflects how much you trust Him to provide for your needs. We will only give to the extent that we believe God will provide for us.
4. Giving should be sacrificial and generous - 2 Cor. 8:1-5.
5. Giving reflects spiritual trustworthiness - Luke 16:10-13 - If we are not faithful with the use of our money, God will determine that we are untrustworthy to handle spiritual riches. Your giving reflects how much you love Christ.
6. Giving is about Love, not Legalism - 2 Cor. 8:7-8, 9:7 - God does not send out bills. Neither does the church. Giving should be motivated by your love for God. Giving should be measured in the heart and the standard is their love to God.
7. Give Willingly, Thankfully, and Cheerfully - 2 Cor. 9:7 - God does not want you to give begrudgingly. God owns it all and he wants you to give because you want to. God wants you to enjoy giving. You are not giving to a drug lord or a evil political leader, you are giving to a joyful, holy and loving God of all creation.
8. Giving - An appropriate Response to Real Needs - Give to those who are in need. Acts 2:43-45 and Acts 4:32-35 -
9. Giving should be planned and systematic - 1 Cor. 16:1-2.
10. Generous Giving Results in Bountiful Blessing - Luke 6:38, 2 Cor. 9:6-8 - This does not mean that if you give a lot to God He will make you financially rich here on earth. Though blessings will be manifested in other ways here on earth a majority of our blessing will come in the next life. (Instead of “Your Best Life Now” we could say “Your Best Life Later.”) Store up for yourselves treasure in Heaven.

Scripture
Any of the Scriptures mentioned above

A Practical Response
1. Describe a good steward?
2. Would you say that you are prepared for the end of time? The end of your life?
3. Are you using your time like God wants you to? Do you ever waste time?
4. How are you giving your time and money right now?
5. What does the use of your time and money say about what you love the most in your life?