Day 10: Give what you have (Time)

“When you give away what you have, Jesus will give you more to give. Even if what you have isn’t enough to solve the whole problem, just do what you can in the moment—give it anyway. Trust that God will fill you up with enough to supply the need that’s right in front of you, and assume he will do it again for the next need as well. If you don’t give, you don’t get a chance to see God do a miracle.”—Jay Pathak & Dave Runyon, The Art of Neighboring

We’ve spent the bulk of this time focusing on personal perspectives and our relationships with God. It has been intentional, but it also may feel intangible or impractical. At the end of the day, we do have a right and responsibility to engage in kingdom-minded action. But it can be an intimidating prospect in times like these. It can sometimes seem that our only option is complete passivity or an over-aggressive confrontation on social media. But if your greatest action thus far has been political posts on social media, might I humbly suggest that there are more effective ways to bring about true change. 

It can be overwhelming to consider all of the current needs that exist in our world. It can be even more challenging to find ways to actively and practically get involved. But can I encourage you today? You don’t need to solve every problem or meet every need! Again, my encouragement for you is to find what you can do and take steps, even small ones, in that direction. To help us do just that, I’d like to reference a well-known stewardship principle that I’ve found helpful in moving toward action. It’s the principle of our time, talent, and treasure.

These three simple categories are meant to provide clarity about what we each have to offer in our pursuit of kingdom-minded action. 

Let’s start with time . . .

Time

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

If you’re at all like me, there have been many moments when you’ve realized that you’d like to be in better physical shape. But as often as I’ve thought or talked about my fitness goals, nothing actually changes. It isn’t until I dedicate time (on my calendar) to doing something about it, that real change occurs. 

One of the frequent criticisms of the political space is that there’s a lot of talk and very little action. I wonder if the same may be said for many of us when it comes to political issues. We criticize political leaders, even though we might not take the time to vote. We share our passion around certain policies or beliefs, yet fail to engage with the organizations that are actively working to bring about change in the areas. We wish things would improve without asking the question: “How can I make things better this week?”

There is an invitation for all of us to be a part of God’s work in this season, but it may require some practical changes to the way we spend our time. 

More No = More Yes

We are all incredibly busy. This is a very important reality that we have to recognize when it comes to our time and schedules. The demands for our attention are at an all time high. So it’s not surprising that we have a difficult time finding space in our calendar for involvement in important causes. I’ve never been great at math, but I’m positive that we can’t give more than 100 percent of our time. In order for us to create space to step into kingdom-minded action, the first step is often identifying what to subtract. 

“You can’t have yes without no. Another way to say it: if you’re not careful with your yeses, you start to say no to some very important things without even realizing it.”—Shauna Niequist, Present Over Perfect

The incredible thing about saying no, and reducing the number of things on our calendar, is that we find that our less-hurried lives actually produce more peace. And when the things that remain on our calendar are what’s most important, most transformative, and most kingdom-focused, we find a renewed sense of purpose and security that can’t be found elsewhere.

This concept of slowing down and becoming less hurried is critical to finding peace. I’d encourage you to check out John Mark Comer’s book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. He takes a deep dive into this idea of busyness, hurry, and invites us into a different way of living.

PRACTICE 

What can you put on your calendar?

1. Take a moment to reflect on how you view your time. Is there currently space in your calendar for kingdom-minded action?
2. Surrender your time to God. Ask that he would help you to reshape your time and schedule in a way that honors him and serves others. 
3. Spend a moment thinking about what opportunities you may have to love and serve others.
4. Put something on your calendar. This could be as simple as finding a time to vote or delivering a meal to someone. Maybe it looks like calling an organization in which you believe and finding a time to serve.
5. Bring others along. Who can you invite to join you in kingdom-minded action? There is nothing more beautiful than unification of the church to live out the love of Jesus.