In this series of teaching on stewardship, John Cole revised and taught from a published course made available without copyright by local church pastors shared for churches like ours. Read the handout notes here...

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INTRODUCTION

OBSTACLES

*These obstacles are adapted from Do More Better by Tim Challies

1. Laziness

“As you study the sluggard throughout Proverbs you will see that he is a man who refuses to begin new ventures, a man who will not finish what he has begun, a man who will not face reality and, through it all, a man who is restless, helpless, and useless. His life is chaotic because his soul is chaotic.” —Tim Challies, Do More Better, page 20.

Laziness is more than an issue of self-discipline. It is an issue of faith.

God has told us two important things about time that the sluggard does not believe: that time is short , and that the rewards for using our time well are worth whatever they cost.

Laziness comes when we don’t believe that anything we do really matters ; rest in God’s promise that for the righteous, their deeds will last into eternity (Rev. 14:13).

Laziness comes when we get frustrated by setbacks and finally give up ; rest in God’s promise that He will use even those setbacks for our good (Romans 8:28).

Laziness comes when we do not believe that God is worth serving ; rest in God’s promise that if we taste him, we will discover that He truly is good (Psalm 34:8).

Laziness comes when we passively procrastinate instead of making decisions and taking actions (Proverbs 26:13-16); rest in God’s promise to lead you by His indwelling Spirit according to the life of Christ. (Romans 8:10-14)

Proverbs 26:13–16

The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets. As the door turneth upon his hinges, So doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; It grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason.

2. Busyness

For the Christian, working smarter means being intentional to do the things that matter in God’s economy .

No matter the apparent importance of any particular responsibility, don’t allow busyness to crowd out any of your God-given responsibilities.

Remember the ever-present threat of the urgent crowding out the important.

Ask yourself, of all the priorities in front of you, which must be done by you.

We can so quickly feel that busyness equates to importance , equates to value.

3. People-Pleasing

Galatians 1:10

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

If you’re honest, how many items on your schedule are there either because you desire someone’s approval or fear someone’s disapproval ? Or, more broadly, how much of your schedule stems from idolatry rather than a desire to follow Jesus?

Matthew 6:24

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

4. Thorns and Thistles

Genesis 3:18

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Romans 8:20–21

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Let those thorns and thistles remind you that God is God , you are not , and that is a very good thing.

As a redeemed sinner, you live in a world subjected to futility and in that weakness you can by faith delight in and depend on God far more than if you were able to accomplish all the good you hoped to do this side of the resurrection.

CONCLUSION

1. First and most important, your time is not your own.

2. Be deliberate in how you invest God’s time.

Proverbs 27:23–24

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure to every generation?

3. Trust in the sovereign goodness of God.

EXTRAS

Questions about your commitments from Tim Challies

From the book, Do More Better, page 40.

1. Are these the right and best things for me to be doing?

2. Do these things fit my mission [God’s priorities for your time]?

3. Are there things I can do in this area that no one else can do?

4. Am I especially gifted or talented in this area?

5. Do I bring unique value to this?

6. Is there someone who can do this better than I can?

Questions for reviewing areas of responsibility in an annual retreat from Carolyn Mahaney

From http://www.girltalkhome.com/files/personal_retreat.pdf

Carolyn suggests asking these questions about the following areas of responsibility: your personal holiness, your service at church, fellowshipping with believers, evangelizing unbelievers, loving your family, attending to your work, caring for your physical health.

1. Am I keeping the Gospel personally?

2. Am I daily “preaching the Gospel to myself?”

3. What is my present involvement with each priority?

4. Given my present season, am I giving the right amount of time, energy, and attention to each priority?

5. Is my present investment into each priority bringing glory to God?

6. Is there anything about my present investment into each priority that is not bringing glory to God and thus needs to change?

7. What are the best opportunities that this season of my life offers? Am I “buying up,” “rescuing from loss,” and “improving” these opportunities?

8. Are there any “good” activities or “noble” endeavors in which I am presently involved that are hindering my investment into priority relationships?

9. Why am I involved in this particular activity or endeavor? Is it to glorify God, or is it for selfish purposes?

10. Is there anything that I am doing presently that needs to be postponed until another season?

11. Will what I am sowing in this season reap a good harvest in the next year?

12. Am I bearing fruit in the most important areas in this season of my life?

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INTRODUCTION

Yesterday in the Wisdom-Keepers Potluck with senior members of our church, we took time to consider how every second of every day all creation declares the glory of God—to all language groups.

Psalm 19:1–3

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard.

The skies declare God’s glory to every language, tribe, and tongue every day… even in our fallen world.

• Mountains never take a break from declaring the heights of God’s glory.

• The skies never slow at showing off the wonder of God.

• The sun and stars continually shine forth God’s majesty.

• The waters roar God’s might.

• The creatures show off God’s beauty and creativity.

As image-bearers of God, we are created to do the same, but how do we declare God’s glory with every day and every moment of our lives?

Christians must consider it as urgent priority to use our time to show off the goodness and glory of God, trusting the wisdom and constraints of His commands and providence.

But things get in the way. Obstacles.

We will finish up considering four obstacles that get in the way of using the time God gives us to declare His glory within our fallen world.

This lesson once again is a part of a series written and shared by pastors for churches like ours. I have revised the lessons for our use. Let’s jump back in. We finished with the first two last week.

OBSTACLES

*These obstacles are adapted from Do More Better by Tim Challies

1. Laziness

Two weeks ago, I shared what Tim Challies writes,

“As you study the sluggard throughout Proverbs you will see that he is a man who refuses to begin new ventures, a man who will not finish what he has begun, a man who will not face reality and, through it all, a man who is restless, helpless, and useless. His life is chaotic because his soul is chaotic.” —Tim Challies, Do More Better, page 20.

Laziness is more than an issue of self-discipline. It is an issue of faith .

God has told us two important things about time that the sluggard does not believe: that time is short , and that the rewards for using our time well are worth whatever they cost .

Laziness comes when we don’t believe that anything we do really matters ; rest in God’s promise that for the righteous, their deeds will last into eternity (Rev. 14:13).

Laziness comes when we get frustrated by setbacks and finally give up ; rest in God’s promise that He will use even those setbacks for our good (Romans 8:28).

Laziness comes when we do not believe that God is worth serving ; rest in God’s promise that if we taste him, we will discover that He truly is good (Psalm 34:8).

Laziness comes when we passively procrastinate instead of making decisions and taking actions (Proverbs 26:13-16); rest in God’s promise to lead you by His indwelling Spirit according to the life of Christ. (Romans 8:10-14)

Proverbs 26:13–16

The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; A lion is in the streets. As the door turneth upon his hinges, So doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; It grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit Than seven men that can render a reason.

Last time, I didn’t spend much time on this passage, so I wanted to take a moment tonight to summarize and apply it.

The bottom line of it is that the slothful sluggard is humorously being exposed as:

1. Irresponsible, fearful, and full of bogus excuses— Like a lion is out in the street, so I can’t go out and work.

2. Lazy and unwilling to get out of bed to fulfill his duties.

3. So lazy that even eating food wearies him. This could be expressed in things like poor nutrition, exercise, and or intake.

4. Deceived in thinking far too highly of himself, his opinions, and his excuses.

These all are typical mindsets and behaviors of irresponsibility. Laziness is often defended pridefully and cleverly.

Why is it that often the people who claim to have all the answers to the problems of our world, of other people, and to churches are the very people who are unwilling to do basic responsibilities of life such as going out to work, get up from lounging around, feeding themselves with healthy food, and admitting they don’t know everything?

God hits the sluggard right between the eyes with Proverbs 26:13-16.

That’s all obstacle number 1, laziness. But then we looked at a second obstacle to good time stewardship:

2. Busyness

We said that…

For the Christian, working smarter means being intentional to do the things that matter in God’s economy .

No matter the apparent importance of any particular responsibility, don’t allow busyness to crowd out any of your God-given responsibilities.

Remember the ever-present threat of the urgent crowding out the important .

Ask yourself, of all the priorities in front of you, which must be done by you .

God’s given us each of us unique skills and talents, constraints and opportunities. Some priorities are unique to you because you’re the only one who can do them.

We can so quickly feel that busyness equates to importance , equates to value .

But that’s just not true!

We can show off the goodness of God in rest, in leisure, in work, in ministry, in perseverance through trials.

Until you understand how you can glorify God in all those uses of time, you will struggle to figure out the best way to spend any of that time.

And that all leads us to the third and fourth obstacles to stewarding well our priorities within the time God gives us.

People-pleasing & thorns & thistles.

3. People-Pleasing

A third, and sometimes tragic obstacle to wise stewardship of time is the tendency so many of us have toward people-pleasing.

Mahatma Gandhi, for example, said this:

“A ‘no’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” —Mahatma Gandhi

Or, getting back to Scripture, Galatians 1:10

Galatians 1:10

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

By the Spirit, Paul asks the churches in Galatia, “Who are you seeking to please—men or God?”

And then he elaborates that you are the servant of whomever you seek to please. In other words, people-pleasing and peer-pressure is a form of volunteer slavery!

Think about that! How many people spend their lives on the wrong things according to God because they are given over to pleasing their neighbors, co-workers, friends, family, church, and society at large?

What if any of those groups have their doctrine and values wrong? Then seeking to please them means that you spend your time on the wrong things!

How much of your life is consumed with the doctrines, dogmas, and values of a world who denies Christ? As a Christian, are you really going to surrender yourself as a slave of their false teachings?

• Are you going to work extra hours in order to buy the things that they say you need to buy?

• Are you going to pay someone else to rear your children because they claim that rearing your children yourself is antiquated and oppressive to women?

• Do you not “have time” to disciple someone because of other godly priorities in this season of your life, or is it because of your pursuit of other things that people other than Christ pressure you to see as more important?

• Have you tied up money and time that belongs to the Lord in order to “keep up with the Joneses?”

• Do you not have the margin to have a date with your spouse, coach that rec team, teach that church kids class, organize that meal or activity, read that book, fast and pray, lead in devotions, host people in your home, come to Bible study, share the gospel over lunch with a friend, etc. because of something God said in His word to do, or is it because of things that people who don’t love Jesus said you should do?

• Should the values of those who do not love and obey Jesus rule how you invest your time and resources?

Let me ask it this way: What will people-pleasing have cost you at the day of rewards when you stand before King Jesus?

If you’re honest, how many items on your schedule are there either because you desire someone’s approval or fear someone’s disapproval ? Or, more broadly, how much of your schedule stems from idolatry rather than a desire to follow Jesus?

There is only One whose opinion really matters, only One whose priorities should ultimately shape your own, only One to whom you will give an account on the Last Day.

And hearts that are focused on seeking the Lord will do good to those for whom they are responsible and their neighbors.

We should prioritize what God has graciously instructed in Scripture over what the world pushes in conversations, media sources, and marketing messages.

To whatever extent your schedule is evidence of your desire to serve two masters, remember: you can’t.

Matthew 6:24

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

True of money, and true of any other would-be usurper for the throne of your life. Take a few minutes this week to look through your last two weeks of commitments and circle any that are evidence of people-pleasing—or other idolatries—in your life.

4. Thorns and Thistles

Those first three obstacles have their roots in our sin, and the fourth does as well—though in a different way. Sometimes what attacks stewardship of time is the fallen-ness of our world. The thorns and thistles God has allowed to grow up as part of the curse we brought on this world through our sin.

Genesis 3:18

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

Okay, so this is a different sort of obstacle. It is one we both have inherited and chosen. It is here to stay until Jesus returns. Thorns and thistles slow us down, dry up our productivity, slow our fruitfulness, and make our work much harder. They also bring in uncontrollable disasters like hurricanes, economic downturns, and wars engaged by government authorities.

This sort of obstacle subjugates us into a form of bondage.

Romans 8:20–21

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

No amount of wisdom in scheduling, skill in prioritization, or excellence in time management will successfully counter this God-ordained futility, at least not in this life. Sometimes, stuff happens. As we said in the lesson on rest, God is the only one who gets his to-do list done every day.

But this bondage is not only chains. It is also reason for hope in God’s deliverance.

It actually heightens our reason for looking to and pointing others to God and His deliverance in Christ Jesus!

Along with all creation, followers of Jesus hope in God through the present thorns and thistles of our world and lives.

So what do you do with that? Similar to our lesson about rest,

Let those thorns and thistles remind you that God is God , you are not , and that is a very good thing.

God is about something much larger and grander than fun or productivity or accomplishment.

God is about showing off how amazing He is by rescuing this fallen world and releasing it to glorious freedom.

Even the futility of Ecclesiastes fits beautifully into that grand narrative.

So the next time your car breaks down on the way to that important meeting, or your toddler shreds a box of Kleenex all over the floor, or your brilliantly-planned romantic evening is rained out, or your unbelieving peers and authorities treat you unjustly—remember that you cannot perfectly steward your time because you are not God and because we still await His full redemption of all things.

As a redeemed sinner, you live in a world subjected to futility and in that weakness you can by faith delight in and depend on God far more than if you were able to accomplish all the good you hoped to do this side of the resurrection.

So ironically, the very inefficiencies of thorns and thistles work to increase our urgency in living with hope in Christ to the glory of God!

And… the new heavens and earth will be that much sweeter because we know a restricted measure of how God could have left us under the consequences and curse of sin.

CONCLUSION

So what do you do with all this? Let me close with three thoughts:

1. First and most important, your time is not your own .

All you have belongs to God, and he has a purpose for your stewardship. If you take nothing else away from this study but this idea, and if it rattles around in your brain all week, it will do a lot of good.

What are God’s purposes for your time?

2. Be deliberate in how you invest God’s time.

The pastor and original writer of this study recommended questions from Carolyn Mahaney’s article on girltalkhome.com to examine each area of responsibility in her life. They’re included in the handout.

You might take some time at the beginning of your week, or your day, to pray through the commitments ahead of you—both to ask that God would accomplish his purposes through them and to consider whether they are aligned to his purposes.

You’ll also see included in the handout some questions from Tim Challies to help you be deliberate in your commitments.

No matter how you do it, being deliberate is important.

Proverbs 27:23–24

Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: And doth the crown endure to every generation?

If that’s true for your sheep, how much more for your time! Your current stewardship is not forever!

3. Trust in the sovereign goodness of God.

You can tie yourself up in knots asking, “Am I making the absolute best use of the time”—and miss the whole point. The point is your faith, not your productivity.

Are you living your life to show off the goodness of God? Then well done. Mission accomplished.

In His sovereign goodness, He is orchestrating your life to be exactly the portrait of His glory that He intends.