Stewardship

Stewardship Where Is the Time?
Fred sat in his car, glaring angrily at the red traffic light-one minute, two minutes, three minutes! You would think for those little side roads they would have only a one-minute green light. There, only two cars went through all the time that he and the other motorists on the main road were waiting! How frustrating! Those lights always seem to turn red just as you drive up.
Behind Fred, in another car, sits Tom. But he does not mind the light a bit. It just gives him a chance to learn another Bible verse. He has a new one in a little stand on the dashboard, and he is saying it over and over. By the time the light changes, he will have another verse to use in witnessing!
It is estimated that the average motorist spends 26 hours a year waiting for traffic signals to change. And if Fred and Tom are average motorists, then Fred will spend 26 hours a year running his blood pressure up in angry frustration, and Tom will spend 26 hours a year memorizing God's Word so he will be a better servant of Jesus Christ.

It Is Finished
Apart from our Lord, it is hard to think of historical figures whose dying words were, "It is accomplished!" Alexander the Great conquered Persia, but broke down and wept because his troops were too exhausted to push on to India. Hugo Grotius, the father of modern international law, said at the last, "I have accomplished nothing worthwhile in my life." John Quincy Adams, sixth President of the United States-not a Lincoln, perhaps, but a decent leader-wrote in his diary: "My life has been spent in vain and idle aspirations, and in ceaseless rejected prayers that something would be the result of my existence beneficial to my species." Robert Louis Stevenson wrote words that continue to delight and enrich our lives, and yet what did he pen for his epitaph? "Here lies one who meant well, who tried a little, and failed much." Cecil Rhodes opened up Africa and established an empire, but what were his dying words? "So little done, so much to do."

Wealth of Time
If you had a bank that credited your account each morning with $86,400, that carried over no balance from day to day, and allowed you to keep no cash in your account, and every evening canceled whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day, what would you do? Draw out every cent, of course.
Well, you have such a bank, and its name is "Time." Every morning it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it rules off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balances. It allows no overdrafts. Each day it opens a new account with you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present-on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!
Only one life
'Twill soon be past,
Only what is done for the Lord
Will last!

Tossed Salad
One day as a mother was scraping and peeling vegetables for a salad, her daughter came to ask her permission to go to an amusement center that had a bad reputation. On the defensive, the daughter admitted it was a questionable place, but "all the other girls were going."
As the teenage daughter pleaded to go, she suddenly saw her mother pick up a handful of discarded vegetable peelings and toss them into the salad. Startled, she cried, "Mother, you are putting garbage into the salad." "Yes," her mother replied, "I know'but I thought that if you did not mind garbage in your mind and heart, you certainly would not mind a little garbage in your stomach.
Thoughtfully, the girl removed the offending material from the salad, and with a brief, "Thank You" to her mother she went to tell her friends that she would not be going with them.
If you have spiritual indigestion and a poor testimony, maybe it is because you have tossed too much garbage in the salad.

Only One Life
With a shining quarter, a tiny little boy went into a candy store. With the utmost seriousness, studying each assortment with deep thoughtfulness, he wandered from case to case. Tired of waiting, his mother called, "Hurry, son, spend your quarter. We must be going." The child replied, "But Mama, I have got to spend it carefully; I only have one."
You, too, have only one life. How are you spending it?

Buried Talents
Talent is a strange word; it means a coin or one's capability or a gift.
So when we are given children and we neglect to tell them the stories of faith, we are burying our talents. When we are given friends and we neglect to significantly touch their lives, we are burying our talents. And when we are given a song to sing and we sing it not, we are burying our talents.
Whatever talent means-whatever it is we are burying-our money, our faith, our love or a song, the meaning of the story is clear: burying talents means not using God's gifts. Who Is Robbed in Unfaithfulness?
An interesting fable is told of a rich man who wanted to help a poor man. The rich man hired the poor man to build a house on the hillside and went away on a long journey. The carpenter said to himself, "My boss is away and I can use cheap materials for the parts of the house which will not show. The house will be weak and undesirable but nobody will know except me."
But when the rich man returned he said, "The house is not for me: it is for you!"
The carpenter accepted the key in astonishment. Instead of a first class home he now had a fourth-class home.
God gives us a job, a life to build. We have to live in the house we build. If we do a shoddy job, we cheat one person-ourself. On Being Honest
Many stories are told of Paul Gerhardt whose hymns are still sung in Germany. John Wesley translated some of them into English.
Gerhardt's family was very poor. He was the shepherd boy who cared for the small flock of sheep and goats on the edge of the forest. One day a hunter came out from among the trees and asked the lad how far it was to the nearest village.
"Six miles, sire," he replied, "but the road is only a sheep track and can easily be missed."
"I have lost my way, and I am very tired," returned the hunter. "Leave your sheep and show me the way. I will pay you well."
"No, sire," said Gerhardt. "I cannot do that for they would stray into the forest and be stolen or eaten by the wolves."
"Never mind; your master would never miss one or two, and I would pay you more than the price of one or two sheep.
"But sire, my master trusts me with these sheep, and I have promised not to leave them."
"Well," said the hunter, "let me take care of the sheep while you fetch me food from the village and a guide."
"The sheep do not know your voice and would not obey you, sir."
"Can you not trust me? Do I not look like an honest man?" asked the hunter with a frown.
"Sir," said the boy slowly, "You tried to make me false to my trust, and break my word to my master. How do I know that you will keep your word to me?"
The hunter could not help laughing.
"I see you are an honest lad, and I will not forget you," said the hunter. "Which is the path? I must find my way for myself."
But Gerhardt would not let the man depart hungry, so he gave him the humble contents of his scrip. Just at that moment several men came hurrying through the forest uttering shouts of delight as they caught sight of the two of them. Gerhardt had been talking to the Grand Duke, and these were his attendants who had been much alarmed at his disappearance.
This was the beginning of Gerhardt's future career of honor and success. Pleased with the lad's honesty, the Duke had him well educated and thus gave him a good state in life.
Yes, God wants us to be honest in His sight, and to our fellowman. You will find throughout your life that it pays to be honest.

Mothball Christians
I once read that the United States Navy has 768 ships which comprise what they call the "mothball navy." These ships are anchored in various harbors around the country. They receive regular maintenance, being repainted periodically and receiving frequent electrical impulses to retard the process of rust and corrosion. Moisture content of the air in their inner compartments is kept at a proper level with giant humidifiers. While these ships can be readied for combat on very short notice, at the present time they just sit there doing absolutely nothing. The only purpose they presently serve is to provide jobs for those who provide the upkeep.
It set me thinking about "mothball Christians." How many do you suppose comprise that fleet? They are being preserved somewhat through the ministry of concerned friends. They consume incredible amounts of time and energy in local churches. Periodically someone must go after them and try to reactivate them. Their talents and abilities are not being used for anything constructive. They are on the church roll and perhaps feel snugly harbored because of it. They receive a lot of attention and loving concern, but never give anything in return. They are served, not serving.
I can see a legitimate reason for maintaining our "mothball navy." National security is at stake. But there is no excuse for believers to remain inactive. The energy and manpower needed to win the world is sidetracked-used up on those who should be involved in helping reach the world. Every Christian is responsible for using his God-given abilities for the salvation of the world. No Time for Time-Outs
In football when the team faces a tough decision, the coach often calls for a time-out. In basketball when the press is on, the captain can call for a time-out. In soccer when the team is bushed, they can gain a few minutes respite with a time-out.
But life does not work that way. There is no way that we can stop the clock to think about our problems. We cannot save, store, or stretch time. We may use or we may abuse time, but the clock keeps on ticking-inexorably. We can only plan how to spend the time given to us.

What Kind of Nail Are You?
Here is a parable of a nail that teaches a great lesson:
A new place of worship had just been completed. People came from near and far to see it. They admired the beauty of its windows, the walls, the carpet on the floors. Preachers were carried away with the handsome pulpit Bible.
On the roof a little two-penny nail held down a shingle. This little nail heard the people praise everything else, but none mentioned the shingle nail or seemed to be conscious of its existence. The little nail became very angry and said, "If I am that insignificant, nobody will miss me if I quit.'So, the little nail pulled out, raced down the steep roof and fell on the soft ground below. That night a big rain came and the shingle nail was buried in the mud. The difference between being buried in the mud and holding down the shingle is this: before the nail was obscure but useful. Furthermore, it was protected under the shingle. Now it will soon be eaten up by rust.
The worst of the story is yet to come. The shingle that the nail held down was now loose, and without the cooperation from the nail, it blew away, leaving a hole in the roof. The same big rain that buried the nail leaked in through the vacant spot where the shingle was, running into the beautiful auditorium. The water ran down the walls, leaving them all marred. It leaked upon the Bible and stained its pages. It leaked upon the carpet and the beautiful rug was stained. All because one little nail failed to do its job.
Paul says in Romans 12:4-5 that we are "many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another" (NAS). We have a world to win to the Savior and each of us has a responsibility to that task. What kind of nail are you? One that does his part and is essential to the glory of the Lord or one that fails to do what he is capable of and has the ability to do?
Every nail is important and essential.

Wise Investment
Baylor University is a thriving institution in Beaumont, Texas. The Christian who gave the money for building that school later lost all his property. Men of the world asked him, "Don't you wish you had the money back that you put into that school?" He replied, "Not at all. It is all that I have saved. If I had kept that money, I would have lost it too. I am thankful that I gave that building when I did." The world may judge us by what we do with the property God has placed in our keeping. Nevertheless, we should only be concerned with God's estimation of our stewardship of His gifts.

Christians as Stewards
What the Treasury Department requires in financial matters, the Word of God requires in spiritual matters. The apostle Paul tells us that Christians must regard themselves as "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1). We are not originators of these mysteries, we are simply the recipients of them, holding them in trust under God. Paul wants to remind us by this expression that we are accountable. He has just finished speaking of that day when the work of each one will be made manifest. Just imagine how careless a treasurer might be if he knew that he would never have to give an accounting of the funds entrusted to him. As Christians we are to live constantly in view of the day of accounting that is coming. We will have to give an accounting for everything God has given us.

Only Today Is Ours
John Bate said, "Today is given us by Him to whom belong days. We have the power to use it as we please; we compass our salvation or our damnation within it; we can travel twenty-four hours of time nearer to heaven or to hell. We are responsible for its proper use. How important that we do the proper work of today in the sphere of today. That man is blessed who, at the close of his day, can look upon his finished work and anticipate tomorrow as bringing nothing but the things which legitimately belong to it. Today God speaks to us in His Word that we harden not our hearts. Today is the day of salvation. All duties, all privileges, all trials, all joys, all sorrows; in one word, everything we have, we have today. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not, only today is ours, and only in today do we hold all our possessions."

Purpose of Stewardship
Would you call the farmer faithful who didn't care enough to cultivate, weed, and spray his fields after the seed was planted? He should change his methods if he's not getting an adequate yield of produce. The purpose of farming is to raise a good crop, and the purpose of stewardship is to multiply the investment entrusted to a manager by his employer. Christian stewardship entails the responsibility of investing whatever time, talents, and possessions God has given us to yield the best returns to Him.

Spiritual Gems Must Be Sought
On a visit to Sri Lanka I saw divers go down to the ocean floor and scoop up mud to find the precious stones hidden there. These gems can not be found on the beach but down in the ocean bed. All the secrets of God in nature have been wrested from Him by patient, painstaking investigation on the part of men.

Stewardship Training
When I was living in Khartoum, Sudan, a kind man named Stelios Costantinidies used to test me in a very interesting way. I will never forget it for it made a man of me. He would give me sufficient money and a little over to buy a small treat, and then wait to see whether I would return the change. He never asked how much the soda or ice cream cone cost-just how much I had spent. I had to be truthful, so I took the money out and gave him the right change. If you don't think this is a good test of character, try it on your own children.