When have you seen a little turn into a lot? Maybe when you saved your money for that big sale that was coming up at your favorite store, or maybe when you went to the buy one get one free sale at Publix. But did you really need that new top that was on sale for $10? In our society we are caught up in spending and most of the time that means spending our money on things we do not really need. We spend selfishly to reward ourselves, because we are bored, or because we think we have to keep up with the latest trends. These spending habits I mentioned are so common that most of the time we look over them, but in Proverbs 31 God shares a message with us about stewardship and acting responsibly with what he has given us.

I am sure many are familiar with Proverbs 31. "She is clothed with strength and dignity,
and she laughs without fear of the future," but have you ever thought about this verse in terms of managing the money and the assets God has given you? This bible story in Proverbs 31 shows us a woman who is a honorable wife and who worked diligently to provide for her family. She used her faithfulness, not her finances to care for her home as well as others. Her heart was in the right place and that made for wise use of her assets and abilities. She is a perfect example of stewardship that we should strive to follow daily.

Being a new graduate, I am in search of a job and this bible story hits home for me. Having a job means more money and a lot of times more money means we make purchases as I mentioned in the first paragraph. God does not want us to never make purchases or have anything nice but what He does tell us is to "considereth a field, and buyeth it." This involves slowing down and evaluating a purchase to keep us from buying just to acquire. No matter how much money I might make in my new job, if I do not use it to honor God I will never benefit from it.

Stewardship does not just apply to our finances; it applies to the proper management of all the resources God has given to us. These include time, relationships, talents, and possessions. All we are and all we have is His and we are to use everything for HIm. In other words, if I tithe at church regularly, that does not make up for failing to honor God with the time or relationships He has given me. Stewardship comes down to being an issue of the heart. The amount of money is irrelevant and it has been proven that when you spend the money you make on others the majority of the time, you will be happier. Just like the woman in Proverbs 31, her heart was in the right place with God she provided for her family as well as took care of others and she probably did not have the most money, but she used all she had for the honor and glory of God.

So when have you seen a little turn into a lot? We should strive to be able to answer this question by saying things like, "When I provided for a family in need, when I saved my money for the betterment of my family, or when I spent my money on something I had thought long and hard about buying." See what your spending account says about your heart. How much are you spending impulsively, for status, or for self- centered reasons? We do not have to make the most money in the world to be happy. God will provide as long as we are living for him.

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Luke16:10-13