Lesson Notes

• Homework Check
  • The homework was to search your heart, confess any fear, and commit to obey the Spirit’s leading with regard to fasting. Are you prepared?
• Brief Recap
  • Based on Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
  • Developing spiritual habits for the purpose of godliness – growing nearer to Christ and more like Christ
  • We’ve discussed: meditation, memorization, worship, prayer, journaling, silence & solitude, and fasting as habits to help us grow in godliness
• Tonight we talk about one of my personal favorites!
  • One of the first God really instilled in me and used to shape and grow my faith
  • Stewardship – managing and giving what God has given us
  • We’re going to look at it in 2 dimensions – both precious – time and money!

Godly Use of Time

• We’ve discussed many differentspiritual habits in this course – but we aren’t going to use them or grow in them if we aren’t disciplined and godly in how we use our time
• Ephesians 5: 15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
  • Boy are they evil! Always true, but sometimes more obvious than others
  • We each have the same 168 hours per week
  • God says to use our time well – requires active management and discipline
  • Lots of things compete for our limited time – family, work, school, sports, hobbies, Netflix, social media, church, God
  • Many of those are on pause, which makes this a great time to establish new habits that will last a lifetime!
• Use this time well to prepare for eternity – we all have a date with eternity
  • God knows that date, we don’t
  • The current crisis has reminded many that there’s an expiration date stamped on our lives
  • James 4: 13-14, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today our tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ – 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.“
  • Even the longest life is short compared to eternity!
  • How do you want to have spent your time? What if that date is today or tomorrow? What should change?
• We cannot stop or reverse the flow of time – we must be disciplined in how we manage the time God gives us, because it flows on constantly
  • John 9: 4, “We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.“
  • If you realize you’ve wasted years, mourn that, ask forgiveness for that, and live in light of that forgiveness, resolving to use your remaining time wisely for God
  • Philippians 3: 13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.“
  • A daily call to put the past in the past and live today for the glory of God!
• You will give account to God for how you used your time! 
  • Romans 14: 12, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”
  • Matthew 12: 36 says we’ll give account for every careless word – I think we can assume we’ll give account for every careless hour as well
  • Our salvation is assured in Christ, our reward depends on how we lived for Him!
  • 1 Corinthians 3: 12-15
• Remember our focal verses – 1 Timothy 4: 7-8, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths [FACEBOOK, ETC]. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.“

Godly Use of Money

• The Bible has a great deal to say about the disciplined management of money!
• The way we sue money strongly reflects our spiritual maturity and godliness
  • Matthew 6: 19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.“
• We must provide for the needs of our families – failure to do so is a failure of faith
  • 1 Timothy 5: 8, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
• God owns everything – Psalm 24: 1, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof”
  • We are managers on His behalf – stewards of whatever God gives us
  • God blesses us, wants us to use and enjoy, but understand it all belongs to Him and should be used for His glory and Kingdom
  • That stewardship is temporary – one day we’ll leave every bit of it behind
  • So take the opportunity to send treasure ahead!!!
  • Haggai 2: 8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.“
  • Haggai is a great lesson on stewardship, by the way
  • How much of God’s money should you keep for yourself and for what purpose?
  • How much of God’s money should you give away for Kingdom purposes?
• Giving to ministry is an act of worship – Philippians 4: 18, “I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.“
• Give generously out of faith in God’s provision – the widow’s two coins
• Giving should be sacrificial, generous, joyful, voluntary, and cheerful
  • 2 Corinthians 8: 1-5  – it isn’t about absolute amounts, it’s about genuine sacrifice
    • Note that for many in our community, sacrifice is > 10%
    • Here’s the thing – sacrificial giving is a JOY if you give it a try
    • We give out of love, not legalistic requirement – if we’re trying to negotiate with God over percentages, dollars, and cents we’ve already lost
  • 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15
  • God gives abundantly as we give abundantly – not necessarily translating into financial gain, but present blessing and eternal reward
• Giving reflects our spiritual trustworthinss – Luke 16: 10-13
  • If you’re truly submitted to the Lordship of Christ, your faithful, sacrificial, generous, and joyful giving to Him will reflect that
• Giving should be disciplined – planned and systematic
  • 1 Corinthians 16: 1-2, “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so ou also are to do. 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.“
  • Don’t just give when the Spirit moves you – though you should give then too
  • Give regularly – with every paycheck and increasing with every raise
  • Take advantage of recurring online giving to put discipline to this

Concluding Thoughts

• There are only 2 possible relationships with your money and stuff – either you own it or it owns you. Joyful, generous, and sacrificial giving is the best way I know of to keep your stuff from owning you!
• We will absolutely give account to God for how we spend our time and money. May that account be a joyful one, not an embarrassing and shame-faced one!
• Don’t wait until a better time to devote more time to God or to give more generously to the Kingdom. That better time is a myth. God desires faithfulness today and every day.
• My prayer is for everyone to be faithful – it isn’t for specific dollars, budgets, or levels of volunteerism – it’s for every person in our community of faith to enjoy the blessings of faithful management of time and money.

Homework

• Review your calendar, schedules, and screen time reports this week. Are you generously giving your time to the Lord or to some other dominant power in your life?
• Review your financials – cash flows, expenditures, credit card statements, savings, and investments. Pretend you have to give an accounting to God this week. What would you say and is there sin you need to confess?