It has been said that time is perhaps the most valuable commodity that we have been given on this earth. Time cannot be purchased or earned. We cannot gain more time. Knowing this, every moment we have on this earth is precious. Time is a gift from God, and, like all gifts from Him, we are responsible for stewarding our time well. None of us wants to look back on our lives and realize that we have wasted the precious time we have been given. In our Bible study today, we will explore what Scripture teaches us about stewarding our time, the one life we have each been given, well.
When you have a few spare minutes, what is one of your favorite ways to spend your time?
WATCH SERMON RECAP HERE
1. Read Matthew 25:14-18. Which servants in this story told by Jesus handled the responsibility they had been given in this passage of Scripture well, and why?
Matthew 25:14-18
14“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
2. Other translations of this passage, such as the English Standard Version and the New King James Version, refer to the money in this passage of Scripture as a talent. We heard during the weekend message that a talent was a large sum of money that could represent up to 15 or 20 years of wages for an average person. How does this knowledge help us understand what was at stake for how the servants in this Scripture stewarded the money they had been given and what is at stake when it comes to stewarding our time and resources well?
3. Read Matthew 25:19-27. The first two servants both received the exact same praise from their master for how they handled the money he had given them, even though they produced different amounts of money from their investments. What does his response reveal about how God responds to our efforts when we seek to steward our resources, including the time we have been given, well?
Matthew 25:19-27
19“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’21“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’22“The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23“The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24“Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
4. Look at verse 25. What held the third servant in this passage of Scripture back from stewarding the money he had been given well?
1. What keeps people from stewarding the time and resources God has given them well?
2. How do we honor God with the way we steward our lives based on the Scripture we read today?
3. When it comes to the way you are stewarding your time and resources, what is going well? What needs improvement?
Think for a moment about how you are currently stewarding your time. What needs to be reorganized or reprioritized in order to steward your time better and honor God? Share that with your group and commit to taking that step toward reorganization or reprioritization today.
One reason people do not steward their time well is that they do not recognize how valuable it is. They do not carefully consider whom or what they are dedicating their time to. Let’s take a few moments to discover what Scripture teaches about our time and why each one of us should seek to honor God with the precious gift of time we are given.
Most people assume that their time is their own. It belongs to them, and they can do with it whatever they want. The truth is, however, that our time is not our own. It belongs to God, and every moment He gives us is a gift. When we understand that our time belongs to Him, and we are just stewards, we are motivated to make the most of this time on earth that we have been given.
1. Read Psalm 24:1.
Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
2. What does this passage of Scripture teach about the gifts we have been given on earth, including our time?
3. How does the teaching in this passage of Scripture go against most people’s view of their lives, including their time?
4. How does the reminder that even our time is a gift that belongs to God impact the way you view your own time?
We may think that we have all the time in the world, but the truth is, our time is limited. It passes by faster than we could possibly imagine. As a result, our responsibility is to make the very most of the time we are given, leveraging everything we have and every moment we have to know Christ and to make Christ known.
1. Read James 4:13-17.
James 4:13-17
13Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. 17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
2. What does this passage of Scripture teach about our time on earth?
3. According to this passage of Scripture, how should we respond to the truth that our time on earth is short?
4. How does understanding that our time is limited impact the way you view your own time?
Because our time really belongs to God and is limited, we have to choose wisely what to focus our precious time on. We can either spend our time focusing on the things of this world that will fade away or the things of eternity that will last forever. Of course, focusing on the eternal things that will last forever is the best use of our time here on this earth.
1. Read Matthew 6:19-23.
Matthew 6:19-23
Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. 22“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!
2. What does this passage of Scripture teach about what we focus our time and energy on?
3. Why is focusing our time on things with eternal value the best thing we can do with our time, according to this passage of Scripture?
4. How does this call to live for things of eternity impact the way you view your own time?
Think for a moment about your time and what you are investing in. What is an eternal investment that you can begin making with your time every week in order to invest your time in what is most important? Maybe you can begin spending more time with your friend who is far from Christ so that you can share your faith with them. Maybe you can sign up to serve in one of our many ministry areas here at Sagebrush. Whatever it looks like to you, share with your group how you will regularly focus on making an eternal impact with your time.
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