TIME. Talent. Treasure. (Part 1 of 3)
Brandon Sappington
Stewardship Team Member
What a time to be a member of the body of Christ. There are so many things to be thankful for, but also so many challenges God has put before us. I have had some moments of doubt and worry. The devil’s favorite game is “What are we going to do?” The reason he wants us to play that game is so that we are concentrating on ourselves and what we in our own power can do. But we as Christians don’t and shouldn’t be relying on our own power. We are imbued with the power of the One who is Greater. Having said that, I believe that Our Heavenly Father gave us a brain and intends for us to use it. What does GOD expect us to do while we are relying on Him?
There are 3 things that we all have to give to God. Our Time. Our Talent. And our Treasure. God doesn’t really need any of them from us (because He is a perfect being, lacking nothing), but He does want them. So, these are gifts that God wants us to give to Him to better ourselves. Really, a gift to ourselves.
Since these are important, I’m just going to cover one of the gifts in this blog: Time. Time is one of the hardest things to produce for God mainly because of how we live, but I have a feeling there has always been a shortage of time on the earth. And so frequently, I get this one backwards. In Matthew 6:33 (ESV), straight from Jesus’ own mouth, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” I spend my week hustling to try and get it all done, so I can try and make time for God. I have let all those other things overwhelm me to the point that I am trying to fit in a daily devotional or a bible study. But scheduling, meal planning, and time blocking will only do so much. God’s timing is perfect, and I need to rely on that. For the next week, I plan to wake up into prayer. Read a passage out of His book, and ask Him to set before me His will and plan that I may accomplish what He seeks, not what I seek. Because His plan is better. I want to try and give God the first cut of my time, not what I can manage to fit in.
If we look a little deeper at the gift of time, we can see exactly what a precious gift it really is. Personally, I have some experience here. I was diagnosed with a dangerous form of skin cancer in my mid-twenties. Because it was caught early, I was spared many of the hardships that other cancer patients have to suffer through, thankfully. In the consultation with the surgeon before the surgery, he off-handedly mentioned that with cancer like this, untouched, it’s unlikely I would have made it to 36.
That’s 2 years before I got married.
That’s 4 years before my wife gave birth to our son.
When I was a little younger, I really saw my post-35 years as “bonus time”, but I was wrong. It’s all bonus time – every day from our first to our last. Life isn’t easy for anyone, but the time we have is one of the only things we really get on this earth. And God wants us to give some of that time back to Him in fellowship and worship. He wants to spend time with us because, really, what else is there?