Escape of Notions

Sunday, Jan 6, 2008, was the first Sunday of the New Year.  The Pastor's Sermon was on Stewardship.  He prefaced his sermon by saying "stewardship is more than money."  He went on to say that he only preaches on Stewardship in January because he would be failing in his ministry to neglect such an important part of Christian living. 

Matthew 25:32

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

 34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.  (Bible Gateway, 2008)

First Fruits,  giving God the first of everything, including your Time.  "Time is a gift, that is why they call it the Present"  (anonymous, n.d.).

The Pastor pointed out that by giving God the first Sunday of our New Year, we gave Him our First Fruits. This includes the first minute of our day, the first Sunday of our Week, the first day of our New Year.  I must say, I WAS neglectful in giving God the first day of the New Year.  I didn't even have a Bible Study time, but He DID get my first Sunday.  When I was a little girl, I had a Sunday School pin that grew longer by the year.  I was awarded a charm to add to my pin for not missing any Sundays for about 8 or 10 years.  Then I was sick one Sunday and missed. 

First Fruits, giving God your Treasures.  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  Luck 12:34" (Bible Gateway, n.d.).

As a teen, I discovered the acrostic "JOY - Jesus First, Other's second, Yourself last" (anonymous, n.d.).  Pastor Dave said that the gospel is our greatest resource.  Within that Gospel is the greatest commandment, which is to,

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'. and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' "  Luke 10:26-28. (Bible Gateway, n.d.).

Jesus used His resources for others.  Even His life, His ultimate resource, was given for the salvation of mankind.  Jesus taught self-denial.  How we treat others is how we treat our Lord.  Pastor Dave ended this section with the question, "What would you do for the sake of others?"

First Fruits, giving God your Talents.  Based on the parable of the Good Samaritan

Lastly, Pastor Dave said how we use our talents is a sign of good stewardship.  This reminded me of our spiritual gifts.  He pointed out that each of us possess unique qualities in which to serve the Lord and others.  We should use these qualities to glorify God and reach mankind. 

Hunger - the church is a great place to start.  It is good to help feed those around the world, but there are hungry people in our own neighborhood.

Healing - by sending cards, making visits, or just a phone call, we can reach our neighbors and determine in what way we can minister to each other.

Helping - "WWJD - What Would Jesus Do?" (anonymous, n.d.) How will we respond to opportunities God puts in our path? Even when people are unlovable, unappreciative, and just mean, we are to respond as Jesus would, by turning the other cheek and being nice.

Heaven - Fruit of Salvation is works, not the root of Salvation, which is Faith in Jesus as our Savior. Are we to be His Sheep?

Hell - Are we to be Satan's Goats?  Hell was prepared for the Devil and his followers, but those who do not believe will be sent into eternal exile for eternity.

As you can see, Pastor Dave did a great job highlighting the ways to be good stewards of our time, treasures, and talents.  I'm guilty of  NOT using everything God has blessed me with for His Glory.  So, in the upcoming year, I shall strive to be a better steward in all areas of my life.  I look forward to hearing the next Stewardship sermon in Pastor Dave's series.