Use What Is In Front Of You

        Pillows I re-covered using stuff I already had!


All of us have a certain amount of money and resources in front of us.  We are given a stewardship over an amount that we may have no control over.  It doesn't matter how much that is....did you hear me?  I'll say it again. It doesn't matter how much. (Okay, it matters in the area of food and shelter...) What does matter is what you do with it!  What you do with it and how you use it will decide how much more you get.  If you waste it, you won't get more...if you spend it wisely, you will be trusted with more.

By spending it wisely I don't mean shopping sales and getting great deals on more stuff you don't need, and spoiling our already spoiled children more!  I mean spending it to pay off debt, helping others in need, and remembering where it came from and telling others where it came from!  Does this sound familiar?  The parable of the talents?

I hear people say and have been guilty of complaining that if only we made more money, then we could pay things off and give a lot more.  But I can testify that if you aren't doing that right now, then even if you made a million dollars, you still would be in debt, spending too much and not helping anyone anymore than you do today.

Most of us aren't going to win the lottery or some sweepstakes that pays off our mortgage and make life wonderfully blissful because now we have so much money.  And I don't think that's the way the Lord wants it.  He wants us to work for it!  To figure it out.  To remember that more stuff doesn't matter in life.  This doesn't mean he won't jump in there when we need it though.  He provides beautiful tender mercies along the way to help us.  Here is an example.

I take cash only to the grocery store.  My goal is $100 per week.  That means everything has to be planned out pretty precisely.  The other day I was at Sam's Club and was short on cash.  I stood there and told the checker to take out the bananas... still short a whole 15 cents....take out a gallon of milk...okay.
I was a little bummed because that rarely happens to me.  I rarely get to the check out and don't have enough.  But I left, still happy in the knowledge that I only spent my allotted amount and didn't pull out my debit card.
Weeeelllll,...I'm loading my car and this guy comes up to me carrying bananas and milk and says, "Here ya go. I was behind you in line."  I was shocked!  My faith in humanity restored!  I started crying...over bananas and milk...and over the fact that I knew that God was in it...(not the milk.)  But He saw what was going on and gave this guy at the store a little wink and inspired him to help me out.  I thanked him as I blubbered something about "you don't understand, I have six children..." and he just said, "don't worry about it, I understand."

This is not the only time either.  We've gotten unexpected freebies and money in the mail.  The Lord is doing all of this because we are trying to follow His counsel to be free of debt and use our 'talents' wisely.

Whatsoever ye sow, that also shall ye reap.  If you sow into debt, you reap debt.  How much do you waste?  How many groceries go down the drain?  How many things that you couldn't live without are now at Good Will?  If you sow into waste...you reap waste.

Just a thought.  What can you use better that is right in front of you?