Faithful Stewards of God’s Infinite Grace

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

We are entering into our annual stewardship season entitled, “Faithful Stewards of God’s Infinite Grace.” During the next few weeks, we will consider what it means to be a “faithful steward” and how our stewardship translates into practical Christianity.

This emphasis is built in its entirety on two concepts: First, God owns everything! As Psalm 24:1 states clearly, “The earth is the LORD’s, and all it contains.” God owns it all and has never relinquished the title deed to the world. Second, our responsibility is to manage that which belongs to God which God has entrusted to us. In other words, all that we have is a blessing from God and represents that which God has loaned to us on a temporary basis.

What kinds of things belong to God? Certainly our time is a gift from our Heavenly Father that is given to everyone equally. All of us have the same amount of time — 24 hours per day. How we use our time is what makes the difference for this life and for eternity. Some will squander their time by giving priority to activities that carry little impact for eternity. Others will invest their time wisely for God’s glory and for the good of others.

Our talents are also gifts on loan from God. Not everyone receives an equal amount of talents or abilities, but all of us can excel at something. Some are called to a public ministry whereby what they do is highly visible, including pastors, worship leaders, and teachers. Others are called to a less visible role in the ministry and work of the church. But all of us are given talents and abilities which can be used for God’s glory and to strengthen the Gospel outreach here at Riverside Presbyterian Church.

The question is not whether we can do something for the Lord. The question is if we will use our talents and abilities to serve God. Unfortunately, many times, we offer excuses to avoid serving the Lord, excuses that often appear humorous when applied to other activities. Moody Monthly once carried an article which illustrated excuses people might use for not attending sports events. The analogy is easy to make in terms of serving God:

Every time I went, they asked me for money. The people with whom I had to sit didn’t seem very friendly. The seats were too hard and not comfortable. The coach never came to call on me. The referee made some decisions with which I could not agree. I was sitting with some hypocrites — they only came to see what others were wearing. Some games went into overtime, and I was late getting home. The band played numbers that I had never heard before. The games are scheduled when I want to do other things. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyhow. I don’t want to take my children because I want them to choose for themselves which sport they like best.

On the second day of their conference at Yalta, Premier Stalin gave President Roosevelt a reason why a proposed plan would not work. Roosevelt gently reminded Stalin that this was not the same reason he had given the previous day. Stalin replied, “My dear Roosevelt, whenever you don’t want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.” Stop and think about it: 80% of the work in most churches (including our church) is done by 20% of the people. The rest have made other activities a priority for their time and talents.

As one of the “Faithful Stewards of God’s Infinite Grace” here at Riverside Presbyterian Church, will you go against that trend by making a commitment to the “Proprietor of the Universe” to use the time and talents that have been given to you to make a difference in the ministry and outreach of our church? Remember, as one of those to whom God has entrusted time, talents, and treasure, God is counting on you . . . .

Your in Christ,