Give Your Time

[00:00:01] As we seek to live a life that honors God, how can we give our time? Let's discuss. Hello, Welcome to Walking in Step with God. I'm Stephen McDonald. Today I'm excited to kick off a brand-new series simply entitled

[00:00:49] Give. As we seek to live a life where we walk with God, we are very familiar with all the ways God seeks to encourage us, Confidence and equip us to follow his will. So many aspects of walking with God involve receiving,

[00:01:08] But in this series we will explore ways to give. When we truly pursue a relationship with God, We should consider how we can give of ourselves. While God does not need any of us, He will delight in us when we offer ourselves to be used by Him,

[00:01:29] For His purpose. In today's episode we will explore the concept of giving our time. Less explore three ways that we can give our time to God as we offer ourselves to serve Him and those who seek to follow and rely upon Him.

[00:01:47] Before we continue, let's take a quick break. I'll be right back. Have you been yearning for a deeper relationship with God? Especially in the unusual times we're in. Here's your sign that your desires are being answered.

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[00:02:51] Welcome back. Let's continue our discussion of three ways to give our time as we walk with God. Number one, become a volunteer. A comment thread for our message today is deciding to become a volunteer.

[00:03:07] Become a volunteer isn't excellent way to give your time to cause this important to God. There are numerous ways to volunteer in today's day and age. You can serve food in a soup kitchen or homeless shelter.

[00:03:22] You may find opportunities to provide social visits in a hospital or nursing home. One way you can find volunteer opportunities is to seek out a faith-based charity. A faith-based charity will likely have opportunities to give your time and share your faith with others.

[00:03:42] If you are willing to give your time and volunteer, I invite you to ask God to put on your heart the volunteer opportunity that is best suited to the gifts he has planted and aligned with this plans for you. Number two, donate your expertise.

[00:04:03] All of us have skills and gifts. All of us. We may have learned skills from life experience or a formal education or both. We all have gifts planted in us by God to explore our place in the world.

[00:04:20] One way we can give our time is to donate our skills and gifts for free to those in need. Are you skilled in a particular subject such as mathematics or biology?

[00:04:32] Why not look for opportunities to be a tutor for students who otherwise would not be able to afford one? Are you passionate about the law and our legal system? Consider donating some of your time to provide legal services for a bono.

[00:04:49] Do you have creative gifts such as being an artist or a musician? Why not give some of your time to creating artwork that can be donated to a community space?

[00:05:00] This gesture not only adds visual affair to a room, but also enriches the community by promoting creativity and self-expression.

[00:05:09] If you are willing to give your time leveraging your skills and gifts, I invite you to ask God to put on your heart the opportunity that will allow you to share the gifts he has planted within you with others who benefit.

[00:05:26] Number three, join a mission or outreach program. There are many opportunities to get involved in outreach programs and missions that give back to communities. Do you have a particular passion or skill set but are unsure how to give your time?

[00:05:43] Mission and outreach programs allow people like you to join a team of individuals to help achieve a common goal. Habitat for Humanity is an example of a faith-based organization that seeks to build or improve housing for communities all over the globe.

[00:06:02] Bread for the world is an example of a faith-based organization that addresses food and securities and communities worldwide. There are literally hundreds of organizations that have organized missions in outreach programs looking for individuals like you to give your time.

[00:06:22] As I've mentioned earlier in today's episode, I invite you to ask God to lead you to the organization offering a mission or outreach program that he knows is aligned with the gifts he has planted within you.

[00:06:37] In today's episode, we explore the opportunities we have to give our time. We learn the first step of giving up our time is the decision to serve as a volunteer. When we decide to become a volunteer, there are an abundance of opportunities to explore to give our time.

[00:06:55] We learned that one of the ways to give our time is to donate our expertise. Many of us have learned skill or talent that we are typically compensated for, but we can offer it for free to those who are in need.

[00:07:10] And otherwise, we will not be able to afford the service. Lastly, we explore the idea of joining a mission or outreach program. There are hundreds of organizations that manage programs to connect with communities in need.

[00:07:25] Giving our time by participating in an outreach program provides us with opportunity to share the gifts God has planted within us with the team of others for the benefit of a community.

[00:07:38] When you decide to give us God to lead you to the opportunities that align with your God-giving talents and abilities. In doing so, you will not only aid those in need, but also experience the profound joy and fulfillment that comes from serving God. Let's close out and pray.

[00:08:03] Father, my God, we just thank you once again this day for blessing me with wisdom. Thank you for putting words on my heart to share with the community about giving of our time.

[00:08:13] We know that we all have time, Lord, even if it's a few minutes a day and sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we are receiving from you and others in so many ways, but we do little to give of our time to others in need.

[00:08:31] So we've just prayed that you put on our hearts to opportunities that we can give of ourselves, that we can give of our time. That we can give over the talents that you have planted deep within us, known or unknown.

[00:08:44] Give us the ways, Lord, that we can give to you and give us the ways that we can give our time to those who are looking to you for help.

[00:08:53] And you, we wish to put ourselves on a assignment for you that you can send us to those places to help those people who are in need and give of our time in ways that we may be never even realize we give us so much joy and fulfillment.

[00:09:09] So we look forward to this instruction and we pray this trusting and believing in you, amen. Are you interested in learning more about the sources guiding this message? Then I invite you to stay tuned after the break for a going deeper with the word segment.

[00:09:26] Here we examine how God's word provides clear guidance and direction about giving your time. If you're catching this episode on YouTube or in our Facebook group, please be sure to click that like button and also be sure to leave your comments about today's message.

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[00:10:45] In this segment, we welcome people of all backgrounds, religious or not. To review the word of God, the word of God provides guidance, direction and instructions for living our lives and walking with God. Today, we examine how God's word provides clear guidance and direction about giving your time.

[00:11:08] Let's review examples of God's word that can lead and guide up our steps and back up the principles we learned in today's message. I'll be reading scripture today from the Amplified Bible.

[00:11:21] If you're watching this message online, we invite you to share your comments as we review each verse. Here's our first verse. Acts 20 verse 35. In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way, you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus.

[00:11:45] They He Himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. And this verse looks explained to quote from Jesus which illustrates the importance of giving over receiving. We see emphasis in the Amplified Bible that giving also brings joy to the giver.

[00:12:09] When you give your time, how does it make you feel? Let's have a look at another verse. Verse Peter 4 verse 10. Just as each of you has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of God's multifaceted grace.

[00:12:34] In this verse, Peter reminds us that each of us has received a special gift from God. These gifts may be useful in different facets of our lives. However, they are also in place that we may share the benefits of these gifts with others.

[00:12:52] We encounter over the course of our lives. Are there special gifts that you know are planted within you? Gifts that you did not formally acquire but seem to be part of who you are. Let us know. Let's look at one last verse. 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7.

[00:13:17] Let each one give, just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. In this verse, Paul explains the importance of making the decision to give our time. We should not offer our giving out of guilt or grudgingly.

[00:13:41] Instead, we should be intentional in making the decision to give. Giving should be done as an act of the heart, for God the lights when we offer our time to be used as he sees fit.

[00:13:55] When is the most recent time you gave your time to an individual or organization to assist someone in need? If you gave your time out of guilt or from a true desire in your heart to give, share your feedback in the comments.

[00:14:13] Giving your time can be a powerful way for God to use you to help others in need. Once we make the decision to give our time, it is so important to include God's guidance in a process of seeking an opportunity to give.

[00:14:28] Ask God today to lead you to the opportunity to give your time that is aligned with the gifts he has planted within you. Thank you for your time and reviewing these verses with me today.

[00:14:40] Please be sure to share in the comments how these are other examples of God's Word of God to you to give in particular giving of your time. Thank you for the opportunity to share encouragement. Here at Walkonestep with God, we truly appreciate your support.

[00:14:56] We are fully committed to Christ and the community. We invite you to join us in fellowship and to seek opportunities for fellowship in your local community as well. Have an amazing week and we will catch you next time. Bless you. Thank you for listening.

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