Read | I Peter 4:10-11

Every day is a day we should remember Jesus. We should recall how He lived His life. We remember that He died for you and for me. Moreover, especially today, we should celebrate that He arose. We should always remember these things, not just on Easter.

Today, I would like to reflect on the life of Jesus as a Steward of His Time, Talent and Treasure. Jesus is the ultimate model of stewardship. Let us examine the scriptures to see what examples we can find.

Time: Jewish custom called for the males starting at the age of three to begin their scriptural training. Expectations were that by the age of eight, they had memorized the book of Leviticus. Fathers were also responsible for teaching their sons a trade. Jesus spent the first 30 years of His life preparing for the ministry by working and learning from His parents.

He was close to his family and demonstrated compassion to everyone. In fact, the Jesus people saw at home was the same Jesus they saw in His ministry. His personality, language and demeanor did not change based on being at home, on the road or in Church.

After His baptism by John the Baptist, Jesus spent another 3 years in ministry teaching, leading and mentoring His disciples. He also taught them by his actions. Jesus ate with the undesirables; He challenged self-serving religious thinking; He loved without condition; He taught whoever would listen; He stood up for those condemned by society; He showed compassion to those seeking Him and then told His disciples to go and do the same. By His example, we have the same commission (Matthew 22:37-39; Matthew 28:19-20). In fact, believers are not only to believe in Him but also to follow Him!

Talent: As the Son of God, Jesus possessed all the gifts and fruits of the Spirit. He used each one in His life and ministry. He exhibited His ability to teach at the age of twelve in the Synagogue. He was a self-fulfilling preacher, prophet and healer. He fulfilled prophecy by His actions. He shared inspired words to save the spiritually blind. He healed and blessed people through His 36 recorded miracles to let people know that He was the Messiah.

Although He had a free will, He always made himself available to do His Fathers’ will. He never forgot his ultimate purpose and was always ready to serve, whether he met the woman at the well or noted that someone touched the fringe of his garment. Jesus made himself available to share His gifts as directed.

Treasure: Jesus left streets of gold in Heaven to come and come to us on our streets of dirt on this earth. As an infant, three Kings bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh greeted him. As He grew through His childhood and teenage years, the gifts were likely long gone by now.

Based on His religious training, He made the appropriate offerings and sacrifices to God with His family. His view of money was made clear in Luke 20:25 when he said He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Observation: So what can we learn and compile from the examples of how Jesus used his Time, Talent and Treasure this Easter.

1. Make the time to study and show ourselves approved by God
2. Be genuine and not one person in Church and another at home
3. Make time for family and give time to people in need
4. Discover, develop and demonstrate our talents in order to allow God to multiply the impact in the lives of others
5. Make ourselves available to serve
6. Open your heart and mind to freely give as God directs
7. Give our tithes and offerings in obedience to Him

Only when we model how freely Jesus gave of his time, talent and treasure can we begin to approach the way Jesus lived. So on this Easter; let us rededicate ourselves to be more like Jesus.