By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
The role of stewards and the idea of stewardship can be found throughout the Bible. Early in Genesis we read about Eliezer who was a steward over the household of Abraham (Gen. 15:2). Luke 8:3 makes mention of Chuza, the steward of King Herod. These and other examples combined with the mention of both just and unjust stewards in Jesus’ parables to give us the idea of the role of faithful stewards in managing the affairs of the one whom they served.
Last week Theology 101 began thinking about the responsibility and opportunity of Christians to be good stewards of God’s manifold grace by beginning with managing our possessions in ways that honor Him. Christian stewardship is not, however, only a matter of faithfulness with money. God also gives to us an allotment of time in which to serve Him as stewards. Hence, He expects us to be faithful managers of our allotted time.
Interestingly and instructively, the New Testament has two different terms to express time. One of the terms (chronos) typically refers to a span of time marked off by hours, days or years or to a specific point in time. This term gives the English language the common term chronology as a way of referring, for example, to the arrangement of events in the order of their occurrence. Another term (kairos) expresses time in terms of an opportune or significant season, such as the time of harvest, times of refreshing, the sufferings of this present time or the last times.
Managing time
Our stewardship has to do with both kinds of time. How we use our hours of the day or days of the week comes under the responsibility of being good stewards of the chronos or time God allots us. Out of appreciation for the need to be a good steward of one’s days, the psalmist prayed, “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12). While most of us as God’s children would acknowledge that we should be good stewards of each day of life, how often have we heard ourselves use such phrases as “I am just marking time until …” or even “I was simply wasting time”? Periodic times for resting or refreshing are not, however, wasted time. Such periods can be very godlike in that God Himself established the pattern of resting on the seventh day of creation. He commanded Israel to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work” (Ex. 20:8–10). We are to be good stewards of each week at the point of how we manage our time under the Lordship of Christ.
‘An open door’
Lest we forget, our Christian stewardship also involves seizing those special times or opportune seasons that God allows. We often label such times as being presented “an open door.” Good stewardship of opportune time involves seizing life’s special moments and walking by faith through doors that God opens. We are to be faithful in how we manage or use life’s ordinary times as well as the special or opportune times. Someone gave expression to the importance of seizing those special times with the old adage, “Opportunity knocks but once.” Thanks to God’s grace, He does sometimes give us second or third chances to be a good steward of our kairos occasions.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Batson is a retired Alabama Baptist pastor who also has served as associate dean of Beeson Divinity School at Samford University and professor of several schools of religion during his career.
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