“But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!” (1 Chronicles 29:14)
Growing up, our parents would take my brother and me out, once or twice a month, for some fast food. We would invariably go to either KFC or McDonald’s. On the way there, my brother and I would frantically try and reach an agreement as to whose turn it was to share their Coca-Cola with my father. See, our parents only ordered two cups of Coke instead of four because four cups were too much for us and invariably went to waste.
However, neither of us wanted to be the one to share with our father because he took large sips and left us with less bubbly deliciousness than we would have had if we shared with our mother. Every time my dad reached for the cup, I would remind him to take a sip smaller than what was usual for him. It was many years before I realized that since my father was the one who paid for the drink, it was he who was sharing with us and not the other way around. Had I known that we were only giving him what was actually his, I imagine I would have been a more generous child.
In Exodus 19:5, the Lord says “all the Earth belongs to Me“. He is the indisputable owner of absolutely everything that exists. We would be sorely mistaken if we think we own anything in this world. We are merely given the privilege of possessing and the responsibility of managing the things that have belonged to Him since the beginning of time. Everything that we possess – money, talents, time, opportunities, and gifts – are all entrusted to us by God and we will have to give an account for how we choose to use it. That being said, God doesn’t just own the “the Earth and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1), He owns you and me. We belong to Him – first by creation and second by redemption.
As we begin to live out the truth that we are not the owners of anything (including ourselves) but merely the possessors of what God has handed out to us, we will be more Kingdom-minded in how we use the resources entrusted to us. Our handling of those resources demonstrates who we truly believe the owner is – God or us.
When it comes to money, the disciples of the first church are valuable examples. We read that “no one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had” (Acts 4:32). Although this is easier said than done, we would do well to ask God for the grace to hold on to our resources lightly so as to be able to easily release them when we see a brother in need.
Unfortunately, we are often slack in giving God the praise for giving us the ability, ideas, and strength to produce wealth. We are warned in Deuteronomy 8 :17-18 “Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth“. There is no good that we can offer apart from what the Lord has blessed us with. If we truly believe that, we will not be tight-fisted in our assistance to someone in need. God owns it all and gives to us from His abundance. We who are blessed must never forget that and must strive to honor Him with the money that He has entrusted us with.
In the same way, God wants us to use our talents and skills for the benefit of others. There is no talent or skill that can’t be used to bring glory to God. Get creative in using them to advance the Kingdom of God. Use them in a way that causes people to wonder what about you is different from others. Give he world the opportunity to witness the love of God expressed in a tangible manner. For instance, if you know how to paint, offer to hold art classes for the kids in your neighborhood or folks in old-age homes. If you enjoy working on cars, offer to repair the car of somebody you know who can use the extra money.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:12, we all belong to the body of Christ. As different parts of the body play different roles, so do we. God desires that we use our unique role in the body of Christ to honor Him. When we do that faithfully, we are fulfilling the commandment to love the Lord and to love others as ourselves (Mark 12: 29-31). Above all, let us do everything in humility. God loved us before we were capable of loving Him (1 John 4:19), and we can only love others because of what He has done in our lives.
I think Dottie Rambo expresses beautifully everything I’ve tried to convey through her song “Remind me dear Lord”:
The things that I love
I hold dear to my heart
They are borrowed and
Not mine at all
Jesus only let me use them
To brighten my life
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord
Rollback the curtain of memory now and then
Show me where you brought me from and
Where I could have been
Just remember I’m a human and tend to forget
So remind me, remind me, dear Lord
Dear Father, thank you for the lavish liberality of grace that you have poured upon my life. Thank You for the gift You gave me at enormous cost to Yourself – sending your Son to pay the price for my sins. Please give me a willing and generous heart that longs to help others without seeking anything in return. May the motive behind my giving always be pure and may I seek to honor you in everything I do. In Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen.
7 comments
Very well written Eva ! You beautifully brought out the truth that everything belongs to God and what He has given us- to be given/used for His kingdom purposes…and ‘God loves a cheerful giver!’.
Well said…nothing is ours to boast on…Thank you Lord for again nd again reminding of ur love through ur daughter…
Wonderful soul stirring thought.
Loved the example of sharing the Coke Evangeline as the same happens in our house too😅
It’s a great reminder that we are given stewardship over our possessions and other things, such as time. We bring glory to God by being good stewards of His Blessings. I love the soda story. That really helped to drive home the theme of the article!
Beautifully written ❤️
Thank you, Jennifer! 🙂
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