Cultivate: Time | Talent | Treasure (Daily Encouragement)
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Yesterday we saw the call to cultivate “our tract of land” or the place God has placed us. Part of the call to cultivate is to cultivate the church. God uses his people to build, develop and further the mission of His church. One avenue we have for this is to steward what we have – our time, talent and treasure – to point people to Jesus.
To steward something, is to realize that it is not yours, but has been given to you by God to use for the benefit of others. As the gospel works in us, we get the opportunity to have the gospel work through us and to experience the joy that comes from living generously (stewardship).
Time: Every day we have 1440 minutes given to us. Time is just simply the measurement of our lives. What we decide to do with our time is shaped by what we value. Our values reveal our heart. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6.21). Our values reflect what our hearts worship. Whatever you worship you will give your life for. The gospel begins to radically reorient our values, which shape the decisions we make. Our life’s direction is simply the sum of the decisions we make throughout our lives.
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15-17).
Talent: We were created with a unique personality and set of gifts to reflect the glory of our Creator God. “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1:4‐5).
We need to ask ourselves, what has God appointed us to be and to do? When we begin to discover how we were uniquely created to serve, we begin to tap into how God intended things to be. We get a glimpse of the heavenly invading this earth. As we steward our talents, Jesus’ prayer of “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” begins to come true.
“From a spiritual viewpoint, when we deny our talents and instead focus on our weaknesses, on some level, we are telling God that we know best and that God somehow made a mistake in gracing us with our unique mix of talents” (Albert L. Winseman, Living Your Strengths).
Treasure: We all have been blessed with different treasures, including finances. We can seek to use these treasures to benefit others. In 2 Corinthians chapters eight and nine, Paul has much to say regarding financial generosity. Rather than appeal to guilt tactics, he simply reminds the Corinthians of the gospel. Regarding giving, he states:
“I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:8‐9).
So the first thing you must do is dwell on the truth of the gospel. As you do this, your affections for Jesus and His church will be stirred. At this point, prayerfully consider how God is leading you to give.
How might you use your time, talent and treasure to cultivate and further the mission of the church?