Investing in People

The Faithful Steward

Becoming a Christian means becoming a steward. The only choice on this point that we have is whether we choose to be a good steward or a bad steward.

Laodicean Christians were tepid.

Stewardship demands we are committed to the whole-hearted surrender of self to the Lordship of Jesus.

Stewardship of our Lives

Christ wants us to have an abundant life, John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Unless we give our lives to Christ, we thwart His plan and purpose for us and the world around us.

Luke 12:42 “And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?”

When we do this—surrender to Jesus—we become like the church of the first century.

Acts 4:32 “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.”

Are we taking our stewardship responsibilities seriously?

Stewardship of our Time

I did not create my own life, nor do I create time.

Time is a precious thing. Psalm 39:4 ““O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

James 4:14 “yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

I can save money. I cannot save time. It ticks past relentlessly. It is unstoppable. Once a year, I can roll the clock back an hour, but later this month, I will roll that same clock forward again.

Time is to be used to serve others.

Acts 4:32 “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.”

One thing they did have in common was time.

What time have you devoted to God this week?

What time have you devoted to another in His service this week?

What time have you squandered by comparison?

Benjamin Franklin said, “Remember, time is money.”

As the proverb goes, “Save the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.”

Safeguard time. Value it. Its best investment method is God and others.

The devil finds work for idle hands.

Ephesians 5:16 “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

Stewardship of our Influence

There are influencers out there. Some are making huge amounts of money and can make or break a business.

Romans 14:7 “For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.”

We influence others. We influence with our presence; we influence by our absence.

Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,”

Jesus is known through our lives. How we speak, how we behave, how we act say something about Jesus in us.

Even death doesn’t end our influence. Read a history book and see how a life—good or bad—continues to impact the world around us.

Can we emulate the first century church and influence the world as they did with our stewardship?

Stewardship of the Gospel

Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

The good steward lives every day in such a way as to please the Master. “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Do we long to hear those words?

Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Go means me!

The good steward loves the gospel and wants others to know it too. The faithful steward hears today’s sermon and wants others to hear it too. So, go and tell the gospel to others. We please God when we tell others of His love for everyone.

It is our duty, our ministry, to tell others the wonderful news of the resurrection of Jesus. To hoard the gospel unto oneself is to fail at being a Christian.

Stewardship of our Money

There is nothing wrong with acquiring money. Wesley said, “Earn all you can; save all you can; give all you can.”

Deuteronomy 8:18 “You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

Work is commendable and earning is a blessing from God. How we go about it must be Christian. To earn more to have more is a reflection of the covetous heart. To earn more in order to give more is the light of God in the Christian heart. So, earn all you can.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, he sent His disciples out amongst the people to gather the fragments. “Waste not, want not” could be said of those instructions. John 6:12 “And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.””

“A penny saved is a penny earned.”

What we give to the Lord becomes the responsibility of the leaders of the church. I do my part and entrust them to do right by God with it. However, I am still accountable to God for what remains. I am still responsible to Him for what I still have left after the collection is taken up.

Ultimately, all things are the Lord’s. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

In Acts 4:34–35, the model of the early church was to give everything. That demand is not expected of us. Paul would write to the Corinthians that they, 1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”

The Jerusalem church excelled in sending ahead their treasures for heaven. Not silver and gold, but love and compassion for others.

Psalm 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”

Haggai 2:8 “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”

What we have is not our own: it is God’s. We are His stewards and He has granted us the blessing of using it to enhance our lives so we can teach others how to enhance theirs. The best we can do is invest in people. Invest them with the gospel and the love of Christ. Invest them with a sense of community within the church. Invest them with the hope of heaven.

So, Proverbs 3:9 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;”