“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” — 1 Peter 4:10

Stewardship begins with a simple recognition:

We have received grace.

Grace expressed through our abilities, our experiences, our time, our compassion, our resources, and our relationships. Even the lessons we have learned through life's joys and struggles can become gifts offered in service to others.

Peter calls all of this the “manifold grace of God.”

Grace comes in many forms because God's people come with many different gifts.

Stewardship, then, is much larger than what we put in an offering plate. It is the faithful use of whatever God has entrusted to us.

So perhaps the question isn't simply, What do I have to give?

Perhaps it is:

What has God already placed in my hands that can be used for the good of others?