What would God have us do with the things he has given US to manage?

In church today, we talked about the parable of the shrewd manager, where a dishonest man is commended for being shrewd and using money in the best way possible, in light of his crisis. Jesus ends the parable, saying:

8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

(Check out the whole parable in Luke 16:1-13.)

So the question for those of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ, those of us whose vision has been transformed by the Kingdom of God, is this: in light of the reality of the Kingdom of God, how are we supposed to use our money and possessions?

And here are a couple additional questions:

1. Share a story about a time that you saw someone use their money or possessions in light of the Kingdom of God.
2. Practically speaking, what are some steps that God might be calling you to take in order to fully surrender your life to Him and His Kingdom? 

Please share your reflections and thoughts on these (or other) questions in your responses, and be praying that God would show us how He is calling us to use our money and possessions as a church!