{"id":11827,"date":"2025-05-01T17:24:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T21:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alleluia.nyc\/?p=11827"},"modified":"2025-06-01T13:39:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T17:39:25","slug":"stewardship-of-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alleluia.nyc\/?p=11827","title":{"rendered":"Becoming a Good Steward of Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Our reflections for the next three months explore our role as prudent stewards of God\u2019s bounty. Christian stewardship begins with the understanding that everything is a gift from God shared with us freely and lovingly. We are called to serve as caretakers\u2013not owners\u2013of God\u2019s creation. Full participation as a disciple of Christ necessitates that we give back a small percentage of the time, talent, and treasure that we are awarded in thanksgiving to Our Creator.<\/h3>

This month, we concentrate on the stewardship of time. We can\u2019t stop it, we can\u2019t store it, we can\u2019t touch it, and we can\u2019t change it. In gratitude for all of time that God freely gives to us, for each of our earthly lives, and for the promise of eternal salvation, we dedicate a portion of our time to God through prayer, sacred studies, and execution of His good works.<\/h3>

The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) teaches us some important truths regarding this topic. The virgins demonstrate that we are individually accountable for our actions and how we allocate our time. If we squander our resources, other people cannot save us.<\/h3>

Our burning lamps reveal the fire that ignites our love for Christ. That love fuels us to follow his path and to radiate his light for the benefit of others. The pure oil that keeps our lamps ablaze cannot be bought or sold; it cannot be transferred from one individual to another. It represents the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We can embrace that initial spark, fan our faith, and live righteously. Or, we can ignore our Christian gifts and extinguish our lamps.<\/h3>

We each need to spend time to develop our personal relationship with Jesus, to allow that love to burn within our hearts, and to be so moved by that love that we lead a pious life, obey the Lord, contribute to his redemptive works, and love one another. Our sacred oil increases through virtuous living. Only then do our lamps continue to light the way toward our salvation.<\/h3>

Good stewardship of our time is a lifestyle, because we \u201cknow neither the day nor the hour.\u201d Every day throughout our lives, we are given 24 hours to use at our discretion. Proper planning helps us to spend that time wisely. Every day, therefore, we must plan to prioritize our time with Jesus, lest he reply to us, \u201cI do not know you.\u201d<\/h3>

When things take longer than anticipated, it is easy to become distracted. The wise virgins illustrate the value of staying focused on our goal. If we lose sight of what is important, fail to plan properly, neglect our Christian responsibilities, or succumb to sin, ignoring our shortcomings takes us further away from God. Had the foolish virgins remained with the others, they could beg for God\u2019s mercy and rely on the light of Christ to guide their way. Instead, they miss their moment.<\/h3>

Our \u201cWeekly Challenge\u201d section this month highlights some of the ways to seize our opportunities through the stewardship of time. Be sure to post your insights regarding this precious and fleeting gift from God by leaving a reply.<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We can\u2019t stop it, we can\u2019t store it, we can\u2019t touch it, and we can\u2019t change it. Time is one of our most precious gifts from God. This month, we explore the stewardship of time. In gratitude for all of time that God freely gives to us, for each of our earthly lives, and for the promise of eternal salvation, we dedicate a portion of our time to God through prayer, sacred studies, and execution of His good works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,31,37,156],"tags":[36,48,155],"class_list":["post-11827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith","category-prayer","category-stewardship","category-time","tag-prayer","tag-stewardship","tag-time"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t