Psalms 90:12 NIV
“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”

Something to think about
Everything that exists, that we can see and can feel daily, is simply God’s creation in its maximum expression. David said, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord” (Psalms 24:1 HCSB).

He helps us understand that everything was created by God, and each one of us is part of that perfect plan. That’s why we are those ambassadors of the kingdom of God here on earth. We’re here to care for and steward every resource God has put into our hands.

Let’s go deeper

1. STEWARDS OF GRACE
Galatians 2:19-20 HCSB
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Grace is an undeserved gift, favor from God for us despite our faults, sins and mistakes.
The moment we open the door of our heart to Jesus and give Him the first place, we are adopting a new nature and are turning our backs on our past and sinful life.
When we remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and understand that He shed the last drop of His blood out of love for us, we can declare with conviction that we no longer own our own life, our body, or our decisions. He is the One who lives in us, and from that moment on, we must be good stewards of the Divine Grace that is among us because of His mercy.

2. STEWARDS OF FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Deuteronomy 8:18a
“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.”

God gave us the power and ability to manage financial resources, and He created us so that we are not dominated by money, but instead, have authority over that area and do not fall into temptation. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV).

We must be careful that work, business, wealth, and financial power do not occupy the first place in our life, resulting in us forgetting about God completely. That is why the Word says that we must remember God, because only He is the One who gives us the power to prosper and the ability to care and manage our income the right way. Remember, God wants us to be greatly blessed in this area!

3. STEWARDS OF TIME
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
We all have 24 hours in our day and seven days in our week. But, why do you think there are people who are more productive in their activities if we all have the same time? Simply because they have the ability to manage their time and invest it the right way.

How much time of your day do you spend scrolling through social media? Or, how many hours a day do you dedicate to read, instruct, prepare yourself, and grow intellectually? God created us with a particular intelligence, which can only be developed and stimulated when we determine to prepare ourselves and be better at what we do. Some might think they’ve already lived their most productive years, that after a certain age there is not much to grow in. But if you take the decision guided by the Holy Spirit to invest better in your life, you’d be surprised with the results. It’s never too late to start and keep growing!
The best way to invest time is when you dedicate the first hours of your day to reading the Word. When we have those times of intimate communion with God, we receive the strength, the energy, and the faith to go out for the daily conquest.

4. STEWARDS OF MINISTRY
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23
Whether you are a leader or not one yet, God has already thought of you to be a person with great influence over others. You can bless others through your advice, wise words, a hug or a gesture of generosity.
If you know people around you with a big need, God has
called you to be light and rescue them from darkness. Lately, everyday we hear of people who are suffering from depression, anxiety, emotional crisis which can lead
to suicide.
If you know someone who has battled spiritually with this, you should be in constant contact with them, pray for them daily, visit them and always unleash that breath of life that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

• Prepare a bin in advance and give each member of your cell group a blank piece of paper.
  Guide them to write down any limitations that have not allowed them to be good stewards as God demands us (sin, guilt, a dark past, financial arguments, laziness, negligence, discouragement, lack of compassion, etc).
• As you begin to pray, guide them to visualize the cross of Calvary, and declare that through
  the blood of the Lamb of God that was slain every argument that is written on that paper is destroyed.
• Help them confess everything that has prevented them from conquering, and in an act of faith, have them destroy (rip) it into pieces and throw it in the bin, which represents the cross.
• At the end, have a time of thanksgiving where they declare that they are free through the blood of Jesus and that there is no pending argument. Lead them to declare that they have determined before God to live for Him and no longer for themselves. Amen.