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God as owner of everything

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“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

For almost twenty years I have focused on the area of financial stewardship. It probably began with parents who were financially conservative and generous to their church and others around them. It continued until my wife, Andrea, and I met and went through a financial bible study together when we were first married. As we began to ask God how He wanted to use us, He continually brought us back to helping others become faithful stewards.

In more recent years, I have noticed the word “stewardship” come to have different meaning for different people. Today we use the word “stewardship” for everything from frugality and coupon-clipping to caring for the environment to an emphasis during the church calendar on raising money. Where all of these may have some element of what stewardship is all about, it falls short of helping us as Christ-followers truly understand and live this word out in our lives.

Before we can truly understand “stewardship” and answer questions about it, we need to go back and understand ownership. Without “ownership,” there is no stewardship.

The Bible makes it very clear who the Owner is. It is God, of course.

Let’s take a walk through the Scriptures to find out more about the Owner …

— Deuteronomy 10:14: “Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”

— Leviticus 25:23 says, “The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.”

— 1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. “

— Job 41:11 says, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.”

— Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.”

— Psalm 50:10-12 says, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

— Haggai 2:8 says, “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,” declares the Lord.

— Even our own lives are not our own. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

From these passages it is clear that God is the absolute Owner of everything. This especially includes those who call Him Lord and Savior! Do you recognize God as your Owner? Why not commit to a daily prayer time and begin to recognize Him as the Owner of all. Simply say to God in prayer: “Father, I acknowledge you as the Owner of everything, including me. I willingly submit to your will for my day.”

William “Carey” Northington

William “Carey” Northington leads One Master Ministries, a ministry to help people be faithful to God, especially through faithful financial decision-making. You can contact him at www.onemaster.org.