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Transcript:
Hello, welcome to Walking in Step with God. I am Steve McDonald. Today, I am excited to kick off a brand new series, simply entitled ‘Give’. As we seek to live a life where we walk with God, we are very familiar with all of the ways that God seeks to encourage us, comfort us, and equip us to follow His will. So many aspects of walking with God involve receiving, 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 for His purpose.
In today’s episode, we will explore the concept of giving our time. Let’s explore 3 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.
Before we continue, let’s take a quick break. I will be right back.
Welcome back. Let’s continue our discussion of 3 ways to give our time as we walk with God.
#1 Become a Volunteer
A common thread for our message today is deciding to become a volunteer.
Becoming a volunteer is an excellent way to give your time to causes 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. 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.
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 align with His plans for you.
#2 Donate your expertise
All of us have skills and gifts. We may have learned skills from life experience or a formal education. We all have gifts planted in us by God to explore our place in the world.
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? 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 providing legal services pro bono.
Do you have creative gifts, such as being an artist or musician? Why not give some of your time to creating artwork that can be donated to a community space? This gesture not only adds visual flair to a room but also enriches the community by promoting creativity and self-expression.
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 would benefit.
#3 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? 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. Bread for the World is an example of a faith-based organization that addresses food insecurity in communities worldwide. There are literally hundreds of organizations that have organized missions and outreach programs looking for individuals like you to give your time.
As I have 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.
Wrap Up
In today’s episode, we explored the opportunities we have to give our time. We learned 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. We learned that one of the ways to give our time is to donate our expertise. Many of us have a learned skill or talent that we are typically compensated for, but we can offer it for free to those who are in need and otherwise would not be able to afford the service. Lastly, we explored the idea of joining a mission or outreach program. There are hundreds of organizations that manage programs to connect with communities in need. Giving our time by participating in an outreach program provides us with the opportunity to share the gifts God has planted within us with a team of others for the benefit of a community.
When you decide to give, ask God to lead you to the opportunities that align with your God-given 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.
Are you interested in discovering more about the guidance offered in this message? Learn more in the companion article Going Deeper with the Word: Give Your Time
