TOPIC: WHAT ARE WE TO GIVE?
Christian Stewardship refers to the responsibility that a Christian has in maintaining and using wisely the gifts that God has bestowed on him or her. There are four important gifts the Lord has given to us which we are required to use wisely for His. These are our body, Spiritual gifts and talents, treasure (money and properties) and time. We are required to honour God with our bodies, gifts/talents, treasure and time for two reasons. First, He is the creator of the universe and everything in it, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…” (Psalms 24:1) and second, He saved us from sin and eternal death therefore, we are His, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Romans 5:8-9)
The Body
The body is the first and most important thing to give as a Christian. In other words, your life. A person’s body is the most important and priceless thing God has given to him or her. We must understand that the first offering we give to God when we come before Him in our chapels is not our money but our bodies. Whether or not you have money to give as an offering, just present your body before the living God through singing, dancing and listening to the Word of God. The Lord knows our hearts and accepts us if only we are willing to serve him with our bodies. You can only worship God when you have life therefore, so long as we have life, we must dedicate our bodies or lives to the service of God. There are a number of services one can render with his or her body to the Lord. For example, cleaning the chapel or place of worship, joining the ushering team, running errands for the church, being a member of a committee in the church, dancing and singing are all things we do with our bodies to the glory of God. It is, for this reason, Paul admonishes us in Romans 12:1-2 that ” … I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. Jesus reminds us in Luke 10:27 that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind….” In our relationship with the Lord, all He needs from us is our commitment. We can only prove our commitment by offering our hearts or lives to Him. Proverbs 23:26, “My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways,”
- Talent/Spiritual Gifts
The Lord has blessed us with talents and spiritual gifts. A talent is different from a Spiritual gift. Talents are either developed or naturally given to us but Spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities granted only by the Holy Spirit through our regeneration in our Lord Jesus Christ. Many people possess talents but not Spiritual gifts, some also have spiritual gifts but do not have a talent. Some people have both talents and Spiritual gifts. We are to use both our talants and spiritual gifts to serve God without habitually giving excuses. Paul makes us aware that in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 that “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Through the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, we learn that we have all been given talents and spiritual gifts according to our abilities by God and are required to give account at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ who will reward those who will give good accounts. We are to serve God diligently with our spiritual gifts and talents. It is for this reason, Paul admonishes the Roman Christians in Romans 12:6-8 that “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his b faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” This admonishment is equally relevant to the church and Christians today! Are making any impact in the church and community with your talents and spiritual gifts? You may be a child, a youth, a man, a woman or even an aged person, you always have something priceless to offer when it comes to your talent and spiritual gifts.
- Treasure (Money and Property)
Money and properties are resources God blesses us with after He has given us skill and knowledge to work, therefore, Haggai 2:8-9 tells us that ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. Job draws our attention to the fact that “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21) It means everything we have on earth is given to us by God and a time will come when He shall take everything back from us. Beloved, all we are required to do on earth is to serve God with everything we have including our resources, It is for this reason, Paul told Timothy to “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Luke acknowledged some women who supported Jesus’ ministry with their resources in Luke 8:1-3, “After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” You cannot give what you do not have but you can always serve God with the blessing He has bestowed upon your life through your money and wealth.
- Your time
God has also blessed us with the gift of time. It is important to acknowledge God all the time in our lives. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us that there is a season and time for every activity on earth, therefore It is important to allocate specific time to serve the Lord. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us to be punctual in the house of God when he wrote that “let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another —and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25). Choir practices, family devotions, church services, Bible study and prayer meetings are some of the ways we use our time as Christians to honour God. We have been admonished in Ecclesiastes 12:1 to “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them” Make time and devote part of your time to the service of the Lord this year as your sacrifice and stewardship responsibility.
In conclusion, I invite you to reflect on this Hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be”
Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.
2 Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.
3 Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.
4 Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.
5 Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.
6 Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.
May the Lord help us to be Good Stewards of His blessings. Amen
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