3 Lessons in Stewardship for Young Adults
Each one of us has been given gifts, passions, desires, and resources that differ from one person to another. The way in which we use these gifts and resources is a reflection of our heart towards God. Scripture tells us that we have received gifts of grace from God and they are to be used to build up others and the body of Christ.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
As young adults we have more time, availability and freedom than any other lifestage to fully devote ourselves to serving Christ and the church. As faithful stewards during this season of life we should strongly consider where Christ is calling us. For some it may mean starting a Bible study on your college campus or within your sports team. It could be serving in the kids or youth ministry at your local church. For others, it could be giving two years to the mission field after graduation. Whatever it may be, we must not neglect the time, gifts and resources that we have been given to glorify Christ and lead others to Him.
When we talk about stewardship this could mean a variety of things, including how we steward our time, how we steward our finances, or how we steward our gifts and passions. I am going to briefly touch on each one of these areas mentioned.
Stewarding Your Time
Time is something we feel like we never have enough of. No matter how free our schedules are, there never seems to be enough time to do all the things we need to do. But is this actually true or is it a result of us not using our time wisely? According to 99firms , Gen Z spends 8+ hours online each day and 74% of their free time online. This data seems to show that we simply do not use our time wisely.
We are quick to neglect time in prayer, studying God’s Word, and communing with Him because of the “busyness of life.” However, many of us are just addicted to social media, our phones, and Netflix. Imagine our spiritual growth if we just spent two of those eight hours in communion with God or discipling someone else each day. Lack of time is normally not the issue. Rather, it is a lack of stewarding our time properly is the issue. Is God worth your time?
Stewarding Your Finances
Money and finances are something we rarely like to talk about at church, especially with our young adults. We view it as a touchy subject and something that we can worry about later in life once we are well-established. However, I don’t believe this to be true or biblical. Stewarding our money is a spiritual discipline that we should all take seriously. Tithing and giving to the church is something that we should find joy in, not something that is burdensome to us.
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
Our tithes and offering to the church are a spiritual discipline that puts our hearts in a posture of dependence on God, trusting that He will provide for us all that we need. It doesn’t matter if we make $50 a week or $1,000 a week, joyful giving is a command that each one of us should follow. If we cannot give when it’s only a little, what makes us think we will give when it’s a lot?
Stewarding Your Gifts and Passions
Each one of us has been given different gifts, passions and talents. It could be intelligence, athleticism, musical gifts, writing, art, speaking, and so on. The fact is, we all have gifts that are beneficial to the body of the church.
“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.” (Romans 12:6-8)
We are all individual members of the body of Christ and when we neglect to use these gifts we’ve been given for the building up of the body, we cause the entire body to suffer. It’s important that we each use the gifts and passions we have to find where God is calling us to serve within His church and outside its walls. Knowing our gifts, combined with a desire to glorify God, should help lead us in our decision-making about what job to take, where to live, what major to study, and how we view our future. Let us all go to God and seek guidance on how we are to use the gifts we have been given in a way that is glorifying to Him.
Conclusion
The way in which we use our time, money, and gifts are a reflection of our heart towards Christ. We should carefully consider in each one of these areas what God is calling us to do and how we can better use these things to glorify Him. As young adults, let us use the freedom and availability we have to be the church now and lead others to the hope of Christ.
Hunter is the Director of Young Adults Ministry at The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN. He is married to Cheyenne and has one child, Lofton.
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