When I think of the many
things the Mullins family possesses it’s easy to think we are owners of it all;
stuff like our minivan, clothing, furniture, food, appliances, and money. These
things have been paid for by us, given to us to keep, earned by our work, or
are in our possession free and clear of anyone else. My wife and I own these
things, right? We say, ‘that’s mine’ or ‘that’s our stuff.’ Well, according to
the law of the land, yes, but what about God’s Word?
Consider these Bible verses:
1 Chron. 29:11-18 ESV Yours,
O LORD, is the greatness and the
power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the
heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above
all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over
all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great
and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and
praise your glorious name. 14 “But who am I, and what is my people,
that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from
you, and of your own have we given you. 16 O LORD our God, all this abundance
that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from
your hand and is all your own. 17 I know, my God, that you test
the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I
have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are
present here, offering freely and joyously to you. 18 O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of
your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
David wrote this; Ps. 24:1 ESV The earth is the LORD’s
and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
All that
is in the heavens and the earth is the Lord’s. He rules over all. And He is an
amazing provider (see also Mt. 6:33) to us. Even the ability to earn and
receive wealth is from God (see also Deut. 8:18).
Here is what God said about His ownership of
everything; Job 41:11b ESV Whatever is
under the whole heaven is mine.
The Bible
also points out some specific examples of things that God owns:
Lev. 25:23 ESV The
land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are
strangers and sojourners with me.
Ps. 50:10-12 ESV For
every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of
the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. 12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for
the world and its fullness are mine.
Hag.
2:8 ESV The silver is mine, and the gold is
mine, declares the LORD of hosts.
All people belong to the Lord
also, in the sense that we are all created by Him and in His image and He is
sovereign over us. Note however, that those who are redeemed by God for
salvation, from sin and God’s eternal wrath, belong to God in a special way, in
relationship with Him now and for eternity.
Rom. 8:9b ESV ..Anyone who
does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not
know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have
from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price.
So glorify God in your body.
Even though God has given
human beings some dominion over the earth (i.e. Ps. 8:6) He has not given up
His ownership of all things.
“God has never revoked His
ownership of everything, nor has He ever surrendered His claim to all
treasures. He didn’t die and leave the earth to me or anyone else.” (Randy
Alcorn, The Treasure Principle, Pg
24).
God has not given us
ownership of His stuff nor has God left us alone and abandoned us with all His
stuff.
We exist because of Christ
and for Christ.
Col. 1:16-17 ESV 16 For by him
all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through
him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all
things hold together.
This “for Christ” part is
about knowing, loving, serving, and worshiping the Lord God Almighty,
glorifying Him. We are to glorify God with our lives and the stuff He has
provided. This is where stewardship comes in.
What does it mean to be a
steward? This is a person who is entrusted to care for a superior’s goods,
someone else’s stuff, to be a blessing to the owner. The steward has no sense
of entitlement that such stuff actually fully belongs to the steward. The
steward is to figure out what the owner wants and then seek to please the owner
according to the owner’s will.
Early in our marriage, Kym
and I made plans to stay at a bed-in-breakfast near the Poconos. We had a
couple young children at that time and wanted someone else to take care of our
kids for two days. We asked a young adult female friend (thanks Natalie!) from
our church to stay in our home and care for our children while we were away. She
was totally responsible for our kids as if she was their own mother watching
over them; however, the Mullins kids did not belong to her. This woman was a
steward of our children for our benefit, our children’s benefit, and we
compensated her for this stewardship role. She honored us by taking good care
of our children for two days. During that period, they may have seemed to her
to be her kids. She had possession of them and was caring for their needs, but
she was only a steward of the kids. The children belong to Kym and me (and
ultimately to God). This is a picture of stewardship and this woman was found
faithful to us by being a good steward of our precious Mullins children.
Here are some Bible verses
about stewardship:
Luke 12:42-44 (NKJV) And the Lord said, "Who
then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler
over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is
that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you
that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
1 Cor. 4:1 ESV This
is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV but just as
we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not
to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.
In 1 Cor. 9:17, Paul calls being
‘entrusted with the preaching of the Gospel’ a stewardship.
1 Pet. 4:10 ESV As each has received a gift, use it to
serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
Years ago, I heard and read about Christians being
stewards of our three T’s; treasure, talents, and time. I can think of a couple
more as well.
Your Treasure:
This refers to the material blessings and money you have in your temporary
possession. Be sure to be rich toward God, invest in godliness. Luke 12:16-21; Mt.
6:24b ESV you cannot serve both God and
money; Hebrews 13:5 ESV Keep your life free from love of money, and
be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor
forsake you.”
Your Talent:
This refers to your God-given spiritual gifts and capabilities. An example of
talent would be having a natural ability to hear and write music and to sing
well. An example of a spiritual gift is to effectively teach the Word of God to
a mixed group of people. You could also add your developed skills to this
talent category of personal stewardship. Gods wants to bless you and others
through how He has wired you. See 1 Pet. 4:10, Mt. 25:14-21.
Your Time: This
refers to your effective use of the 24/7 time that God has given you; regarding
your prioritization and decision making. Time is fleeting. You can’t get past time
back. Make your use of time count and matter for what’s God-honoring. See Eph.
5:15-17 (..making the best use of the
time).
Your Testimony:
This refers to your Christ-following/Gospel witness and influence upon the
lives of others, especially nonbelievers, to the ends of the earth. Christ-followers
are salt and light in Christ in this world. Our personal walk and talk in and for
Christ matters and makes a difference in this world. See 1 Cor. 4:1, Acts 1:8.
Your Temple:
This refers to your body, your life. What goes in and what comes out and how you
use your body matters in the eyes of God. A Christ-follower’s body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit and he or she is called to present their body as a living
sacrifice, as holy unto the Lord. See 1 Cor. 6:19, Rom. 12:1-2.
Any treasure, talents, time, testimony, and temple we
have is from God’s gracious blessing in the first place and we are to honor God
with these things, all to His glory.
Prov. 3:9-10 NKJV Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all
your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will
overflow with new wine.
1 Cor. 10:31b ESV whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
This is a key principle for
us to live by: God is the Owner, We are the
Stewards. Even more so, for the
redeemed, God is the Faithful Owner, We are to be the Faithful Stewards.
So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has
cannot be my disciple. Luke
14:33 ESV
Moreover, it is required of stewards
that they be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2 ESV
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of
your master.’ Matt. 25:21
ESV
First, acknowledge God’s
ownership. Recognizing God’s ownership of all things will help you on the road
to peace, joy, and contentment regarding what you temporarily have. It will
line you up better with God’s order of things.
Secondly, we are to be God-honoring
faithful stewards of God’s stuff. Our faithfulness is required regardless of
how much stuff we temporarily have. Faithfulness to God, even with the little
things, matters.
Are you stressed related to
personal finances, material possessions, debts, lack of contentment, etc..? If
we are to get our financial, material, and spiritual lives in order with God,
we must acknowledge and live out this key principle; God is the Faithful Owner,
We are to be the Faithful Stewards.
Getting this right will help
us make good financial related and life related decisions, be more content with
the basics of ‘our’ material goods, be more generous, serve the Lord more fruitfully,
and give praise to whom it is due (to God).
What do you think about God’s
ownership of everything and our responsibility to be faithful stewards for His glory?
What do you think about what I’ve posted here?
Mike
