Guest Author - Michelle Pendergrass

The parable from Luke 16:1-13 (link below)seems to possibly apply to many areas of stewardship in our lives.

A Steward is a servant who manages another's property. When we belong to Christ, everything we have, he has given us, so when it comes down to the bottom line, even grocery shopping belongs to God.

This doesn't mean we must head into the store praying, though if you'd like to do so, I'm sure God wouldn't mind.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"

By applying this to our everyday life, it might look something like this:

The grocery budget is $100 a week. You spend $150 a week. It happens. We all know it does. What's happening, though, is we're not being faithful with the very little. How can God trust us with true riches when we can’t even handle the little things?

So let's say we make it a priority to be responsible in this one matter. Some ideas might include:

§ Clipping coupons (see links)
§ Only buy what’s on sale and things you absolutely cannot live without
§ Only buy items that are on sale
§ Take an inventory of your freezer and pantry to plan meals from what you have
§ Consider once a month cooking
§ Don’t eat out
§ Use leftovers wisely

What if that $150 a week is sheered down to $50 a week? What could you do with the unspent $400 a month? That would be an immediate reward of being faithful. If you were diligent in this area of stewardship for one year, your family would have about $4800 extra dollars at the end of a year (That’s just using my example. Plug in your own numbers to see how your family would benefit financially.)

Long term effects include feeling good about pleasing God with obedience in small matters and that leads to God’s trust in larger areas. Things he calls “true riches.” Your kitchen would be more organized. Taking a list to the grocery store will help you learn to avoid impulse buying. Things will go further in your home and you’ll be setting a good example for your children by taking responsibility for your actions instead of just doing it the way you’ve always done it.

Grocery shopping may not be listed as one of God’s expectations for us, but what Jesus said in Luke bears repeating: “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”

Will he trust you with matters that pay off in treasures stored in heaven if he cannot trust you with your earthly budget?