Bible & Possessions预览

IF YOU DON'T OWN ANYTHING, YOU CAN'T LOSE ANYTHING!

Fred said, “I could only bring what I could carry and my dog. I had to leave the rest behind. That was tough for a 14-year-old. I had an elaborate train set, lots of football memorabilia with autographs of my favourite players, and other collections. My father had been fired, and we had to leave our beautiful house. From that time on, my possessions had taken on a more temporary character. You could just lose it at any time.

Later, I learned from the Bible that everything belongs to God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is in them. So, he is the only one who owns anything. We only have something in use for a certain period. I read an advertisement for beautiful and expensive Philippe Patek watches, which said; "You never own it; you can only take good care of it for the next generation."

So, we are given the privilege to take good care of and enjoy God's possessions. The Bible calls this stewardship.

One of the best decisions I ever made was to acknowledge God's ownership of everything and to assume my role as manager of His property. It's nice to know that if you don't own anything, you can't lose anything! Now as a steward of God’s possessions, I have also become a partner in managing God's property. I can never do what only He can, but He certainly won't do what I must do. We both have our unique roles. For example, God's role is Provider, Leader, Guide, and Helper. My role? To reliably manage the resources He entrusts to me as He wills and obey His leadership.

"From beginning to end, Scripture repeatedly emphasises God's ownership of everything. When I grasp that I'm a steward, not an owner, it changes my perspective." Randy Alcorn

CHALLENGE

Make a list of all that God has entrusted to you. This gives reason for gratitude and a reason to consciously put everything back in His hands. Then, pray for His help and guidance to use His possessions in His way.