God owns everything. I’m His money manager.
- Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.”
- Leviticus 25:23 identifies God as the owner of all the land.
- Haggai 2:8 reveals that “the silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of hosts.”
- Psalm 50:10, the Lord tells us: “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
- And if you’re a Christian, God owns you too! 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says “…You are not your own; you were bought at a price…”
- This is why 1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “…everything in heaven and earth is yours, O Lord…” As creator of all things, God is owner of all things (Psalm 89:11).
The Bible could not be more clear…We are stewards (not owners) over that which belongs to God. We mistakenly think we’re owners because certain things are in our possession, but just because something’s in your possession doesn’t make it yours. For example, I recently borrowed a Stihl BR420 leaf blower from my dad. Was it in my possession? Yes. But was it mine? No! In the same way, are certain material possessions in your hand? Yes. Is a certain amount of wealth in your hand? Yes. But do these belong to you? No! You’ve only been entrusted by God to steward them for his divine purposes.
So if we want to hear “well done” on judgment day in regards to our treasure, we must affirm God’s full ownership of both us and everything entrusted to us. When we believe it’s ours, we get frivolous with it. When we believe it’s ours, we waste it on many foolish things. When we believe it’s ours, we don’t manage like we should. So it all begins with recognizing the true owner of your wealth. It’s God’s. Truly believing this changes our relationship with our financial resources.
Now once you’ve affirmed God’s ownership and your stewardship, the next logical step is to strive to be a faithful steward. First Corinthians 4:2 says, “…it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” NKJV How can we be faithful? By living by our next four principles. Check back Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Each day I’ll post another principle.