Oh To Be Wise Meditations

How to make things last longer is on my heart this morning. Oh God reveal to me your wisdom to be a good steward and use what I have to the very last ounce of workability. I think about Elijah and the Widow at Zarephath. 1 Kings 17:12-16

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

Notice the end there that the jug of oil would run dry one day when God sends the rain on the land. He will replenish, he will restore, and he will make fat the people of God. Its what we have now in our possession and how we steward before God that matters. A little with the LORD is a lot, and a lot without the LORD is actually very little. Why? You can actually save a lot of time and money by replacing things less often. The story of the widow is not a good example for this next part I want to touch on. But our hearts need to be learning how to best steward things in our lives. Jesus when he lived on this earth had nothing really, yet he had everything need for life and godliness. Let me give you some practical things to get the ball rolling. Many food items packaged in jars or cartons such as salsa, spaghetti and cottage cheese, store them upside down to help keep mold at bay. Just be sure the lid is on tightly. Sponges cut in half, this makes them last twice as long. Dry your razor. Doing so after every use will help extend its life. Freeze candles the day before you plan to use them. This will extend their burn time. Don't skip on oil changes, they can go a long way to extending the life of your car. There are so many other practical ways to practice being a good steward in our lives. Its the things that matter to God, and if we are faithful in the little he will give us more to steward for his glory. We should not ask if we have enough, if the LORD is with us we have everything we need for life and godliness. Start looking around your life for things you are already that you can be a good steward over to glorify God and make it last a lifetime. Or until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.