USING GIFTS OF TIME AND RESOURCES

All through the Bible there are scriptures that encourage us to be faithful and generous as we walk in Faith.  As Christians we should be a reflection of God’s Grace and Mercy toward us.  Forgiveness and Generosity are traits that can be practiced as we strive to become more like Jesus Christ.  But in reality, as we go through life each day what are we doing to reach this goal — or are we giving more value to the things of this world?

In 1 Peter 4:10 it is written that, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” and in 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things of this world… the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever”.

Our time and our resources are gifts from God.  How are we using them and for what purpose?  I would suggest that one way to see how we are investing these precious gifts is to look at our calendars and our checkbooks.  How we use the hours of each day and how resources are spent, tell a vivid story of where priorities lie… with God or with the World.

It takes faithful and consistent giving of time, talent and resources to achieve the goals of the Church and of each individual.

The Bible gives us both a road map and an instruction manual.  In Ecclesiastes it says, “For everything there is a season…” and in Micah 6:8 “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and walk humbly with your God”.  It is the responsibility of each of us, to chart a course for using the gifts from God for good.  Let the journey begin.

Ruth Henderson McQueen