One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I often joke that when I retire, I will spend my free time at the library, just helping everyone pick books as they come in. Because I have so many books in my collection, I often lend books to friends for weeks or months at a time.
I remember reading a book on building habits that I talked about to everyone I knew. I decided to loan it to a friend. The book was stained with ripped pages when they returned it to me. The book lover in me wanted to cry. I loaned it with the expectation that they would care for the book and return it to me in the same condition in which I loaned it. I trusted them to treat my book with care.
Sometimes, I can be the same way with the monetary resources God has given me. David marveled over how God has provided for us and how God’s provision blesses us.
All we have is because of God, and He expects us to handle our blessings with this understanding as our foundation. We should treat all He gives us with care and diligence because all we have belongs to Him. While God is generous, He also expects us to be wise and thoughtful when He blesses us. When we treat these gifts carelessly, we demonstrate that we aren’t prepared to handle His blessings.
Think about your favorite pair of shoes or even your car. If you loaned those items to someone and they destroyed your shoes or crashed your car, you likely wouldn’t lend to them again.
Demonstrate that you can manage your resources well. Show others that you are a good steward of God’s many provisions.
Tamar Dias is a writer.