Partnership With God

Redeeming the Time

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

Christian stewardship may be defined as “utilizing and managing all resources that God provides to us for His honor and glory.” Many Christians limit their concept of stewardship to the use of their talents, or how they spend the money that God has entrusted to them, or even how they use their time.

However, the utilization of all three resources to the honor and glory of God is the primary purpose of Christian stewardship. The focus of this short discourse is on the stewardship of time because this resource can have a significant impact on the way we use our talents and finances to usher in the Kingdom of God.

The Bible is replete with references to the significance of time in a number of its verses and/or passages. Ecclesiastes 3: 1 emphasizes that For everything there is an appropriate time and an appointed time for every activity on earth. Galatians 6:9 admonishes us to not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.

There are three Greek words used in the New Testament that refer to time. One is hora which is translated “hour,” another is chronos from which we get our English word “chronological,” which is time in general or a period of measured time. Then there is kairos, which refers to the appointed time, a fixed or special occasion. The opportunities that come our way, we ought to seize them because God has arranged that time (kairos) for us. (A Biblical View of Time by Loren Pinillis, June 8, 2011)

According to Matthew 2: 1-2, the wise men experienced kairos, and seized the opportunity by traveling several hundred miles to see the Baby Jesus. Acts 8: 26-38 gives a more vivid example of the use of kairos. The Angel of the Lord beckoned Philip to go to a place where he would find an Ethiopian eunuch who needed to confess Jesus as his Savior. Philip seized the opportunity by following the angelic instructions and an Ethiopian eunuch was baptized.

As good Christian stewards, we need to take advantage of every opportunity that God has given us. For example, inviting the poor and destitute into your home for a meal, lending a helping hand to those in need, clothing the naked, bringing hope to the hopeless, providing comfort to the comfortless, and being a voice to the voiceless.

The Apostle Paul draws our attention to the fact that the true Christian is the only one to whom time is a friend. Why? Because we carry with us the only gift that transcends time. It is a gift that will encourage when there is discouragement, a gift that can turn sorrow into joy. This gift is Jesus and He belongs to us. This same gift gives us the Scripture text, Matthew 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. We need to make the most of God’s gift of time because, one day, each one of us will have to give an account of how we used the time which He entrusted to us. P

Garth Gabriel, acting president, Lake Region Conference E Garth Gabriel