The Five T's of Stewardship

LESSON 4

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

Friends, I want to thank the Lord so much for how far He has brought us. This study will be the last in our series on Biblical Stewardship. In this last study, we will consider the topic: The Five T's of Stewardship. The topic has been divided into five sub-sections as follows:

1) THE STEWARDSHIP OF TIME

One important resource that God has given equally to all mankind is time. To be successful in any endeavour, one will have to make good use of time. From the book of Ecclesiastes, we read the following from king Solomon: "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11).

Beloved, it is clear that in all fields of life including our call as Disciples of Christ, we can only be successful if we make appropriate use of our time. The Scripture informs us that Satan knows that he has but a short time to work (see Revelation 12:12). However, God's people often lose sight of the important fact that we also have a short time to prepare ourselves, and others for the soon coming of Christ. We go about our daily businesses as if nothing is at stake. The following message of the apostle Paul to the Ephesian church remains good counsel for us today: "5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

(Ephesians 5:14-16; see also Colossians 4:5) Friends, in several areas in the book of Revelation, our attention is called to the clear fact that this world has little time (see Revelation 1:3; Revelation 10:6; Revelation 22:10). Very soon, the work of Christ in the most holy place of heaven's sanctuary will be over, and there will be nothing we can do for the salvation of ourselves and others (see Revelation 22:11). If there was ever a time that God's people were to be conscious about the effective use of time, it is now.

Everything in our world today points to the fact that we are nearing the closing periods of this earth's history. This is certainly not the time to sleep, but the time to double our efforts in preparing ourselves and others for the soon coming of Christ. If we come to understand this fact, it will be difficult for us to waste God's time in reading unedifying novels, listening to unedifying songs, watching frivolous soap operas and secular movies, and playing addictive digital games. Beloved, in everything we do, we must not forget that we are stewards of every precious second that flies into eternity, and that God will hold us accountable on how we utilise the time that He has entrusted unto us.

2) THE STEWARDSHIP OF TALENTS

God created each person with special aptitudes. These special aptitudes are referred to as talents. Moreover, when we come to believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit endows us with the gifts of the Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 12:4-13; Romans 12:6-8). The Lord expects that we use our talents and gifts to prepare ourselves and others for the soon coming of Christ. From the apostle Peter, we read the following in relation to this point: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV).

Friends, we are stewards of the various talents and gifts that the Holy Spirit has bestowed on us. In the future, the Lord will require an account from us as to how we utilised our diverse talents and gifts for His cause (see Matthew 25:14-30). The following message of the apostle Paul to his son Timothy remains good counsel for us today: "4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."

(1 Timothy 4:14-16) Beloved, if we have hidden our talents in the ground, if we have been utilising our talents to further the cause of Satan, now is the time to rise up and utilise our talents for the cause of Christ. In everything we do, we must not forget that we are stewards of the various abilities that God has endowed us with, and that He will settle accounts with us in the future in accordance with how we utilised these abilities in our lifetime.

3) THE STEWARDSHIP OF BODY TEMPLE

As creatures of God, we do not own our physical bodies. We are basically stewards of our bodies. As a result, we cannot use our bodies for activities that do not please the Lord. In relation to this point, the apostle Paul pleaded with the Christians at Rome: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). To the Corinthian church, Paul provided the following counsel: "6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

(1 Corinthians 6:18-20; see also 1 Corinthians 3:16-17) Beloved, besides the strong warning that the Lord has given us to refrain from fornication and other immoral activities that destroy the body, the Lord also expects that we take good care of our bodies to remain in good health. The Lord expects us to utilise the health principles He has revealed unto us so we can stay strong to make good gains in the ongoing battle for the salvation of souls (see 3 John 1:2). As God's people, we must endeavour not to forget that our bodies are the temple of God and in the soon coming future the Lord will require an account from us in relation to how we have utilised this temple.

4) THE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR TREASURES

It is the blessings of God that enables us to acquire material wealth. As God's people, it is important for us to remember that we are only stewards of the treasures that God has entrusted into our care. Thus, when God blesses us, we have to return unto Him what is due Him. We have to be faithful in returning our tithes and offerings unto the Lord. Several of God's people err on this point. The prophet Malachi gives the following warning to the people of God who fail to return to God what is due Him: "3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."

(Malachi 3:8-10) Friends, the time has come for us to be faithful in returning our tithes and offerings to enable the church to finish the work of proclaiming the everlasting gospel of Jesus. The time has come for us to give more towards the cause of God than we have ever done before. We have an opportunity now to utilise our means for the cause of the gospel that we will not have in the coming future. Very soon those among God's people who have been hoarding their means in the financial institutions of the world will lose them. Such people will experience a bitter regret for not investing their means in support of the cause of God when it was possible to do so. Yet, God will not hold them guiltless for wasting the resources that He had entrusted into their care. Even as such a time has not yet come, it is important for us to heed the following clear command from the Saviour: "6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

(Matthew 6:19-21)

5) THE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR TESTIMONY

One of the important stewardship duties that Christ requires from His people is the testimony that they give about Him to other people. The Lord expects that His children will always tell of His goodness in their lives to the people they come into contact with. The apostle Peter highlights this point when he writes: But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).

Beloved, it is our Christian duty to let the world know what Christ has done for us. We must bear testimony of how He has freed us from the chains of sin. We must bear testimony about how He has healed us from physical, spiritual and psychological sicknesses. We must bear testimony of the everlasting joy that He has placed in our hearts. We must bear testimony of the hope of His second coming, a hope that enables us to press on in a world filled with sin, suffering and death.

Friends, the importance of the Christian's testimony cannot be overemphasized. Our testimonies serve as an anchor to carry us through difficult times, and strengthen us to overcome the machinations of the devil. In the last book of the Bible, the beloved apostle writes the following in relation to the Christian's testimony about Christ: "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Revelation 12:11).

Beloved, besides strengthening our own faith in Christ, our testimonies serve as glue that solidifies the faith of the weak, and helps the infidel to take a stand for the Lord. Has the Lord empowered you to overcome a sinful habit? Encourage a friend in this situation with your testimony. Has the Lord healed you from a deadly disease? Tell this to the sick and suffering. Has the Lord performed some miracle in your life? Relate the story to others whose heads are bowed low. The Lord has placed His people in this world to be a light to the world (see Matthew 5:14-16). As they bear testimony about their Redeemer, the power of the gospel will become real to the world, and thus make it easy for people to accept Christ into their lives.

Beloved, when was the last time you told somebody about what Christ has done for you? Are you fearful or ashamed to testify of the goodness of the Lord? The apostle Paul encourages us with these precious words: "7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:7-8). Friends, as we go out with the everlasting gospel of Jesus, let us make it meaningful to the world by telling them of what the Saviour has done in our individual lives. When we do this, we will be amazed at the results that will follow our work.

Exhortation: There are several facets of our stewardship responsibility that "The five T's of Stewardship" could not capture. However, we can begin to explore the topic further to add more to the list. As we seek to improve our stewardship responsibility to God and mankind, the following words of Paul will serve to encourage our hearts along the way: "1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all Scriptural References are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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