Managing Time and Money WiselySample

The Tension With Our Time and Money

From the beginning of creation, God has entrusted us to rule over the earth. But when many of us look at our resources, like our time and money, it’s easy to feel like they’re ruling over us instead.

And if we’re honest, sometimes we’re not even sure what it looks like to rule over those things and use them in a way that honors God.

Even consulting God’s Word can sometimes result in more confusion about these topics because of the seemingly contradictory principles we find.

For example, with our time, we see Jesus stopping for people time and time again. He’d be on His way to do something important, but people would interrupt Him. And often—He’d stop what He was doing to heal them. But we also see Him go off on His own to spend time with His Father. So how do we know when to stop for interruptions and when to protect our time?

When it comes to money, we see the Parable of the Talents, where three servants are given a portion of their master’s finances. Two of them invest the money and are called “good and faithful,” while the third who didn’t invest the money was called “wicked and lazy.”

That lesson makes sense until we read about the Parable of the Bigger Barns. In this story, a farmer builds bigger barns to store his harvest in—which would have been what we now view as currency and wealth. But then he dies before he’s able to enjoy these riches. When Jesus is done telling this story, He says that it’s a reminder for us to not save things up selfishly.

So, is Jesus saying that we aren’t supposed to save up resources for the future after all? And if so, then what’s the big deal about the servant who didn’t invest and gain more resources?

What do we do with all this tension?

We start by looking to our Creator, who has shown us from the beginning that He is our perfect Provider. In the Garden, He gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to watch over His land well. And in our lives today, He has given us everything we need to take the next step He’s calling us to take.

Over the next few days, we’ll explore more about these tensions, plus some ways we can manage our resources wisely and generously. But here’s one important thing to remember—Scripture isn’t designed to trick us.

We can’t go to Scripture looking for confirmation for our own agendas. We seek it with a heart of wanting to get to know God. When we do, we’ll discover more of His character, and we’ll know which way He’s leading us to go.

Pray: God, I want to use my resources to honor You and serve others. As I wrestle with these tensions, would You please show me more of who You are? Reveal to me what my next step is for today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: Think about any paradoxes in Scripture. How can you wrestle with the truth they bring?

Learn more about managing time and money wisely in the accompanying podcast season from You’ve Heard It Said.