November was a month of praising God for the ministry opportunities He has graciously provided at Faith Church. Labeled Stewardship Month, November is a time where the faithful pastors at Faith challenge the church body to follow the biblical principles of stewardship in every area of our lives. God has provided many blessings to His people (gifts, talents, the gospel message itself, etc.), and He wants us to be good stewards of those things in order to grow His kingdom.
At Faith Church, we are taught 4 Key Principles of Stewardship:
- God owns everything, you own nothing.
- God entrusts you with everything you have.
- You can either increase or diminish what God has given you; God wants you to increase it.
- You can be called into account at any time, and it may be today.
Today, we would like to expand on the first principle in our list: God owns everything, you own nothing.
The concept that God owns everything, and you own nothing is summed up well in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” That whole planet in the picture above? That is but a spec in the hand of God, and He controls it all. It is often easy to be caught up in the mentality that “it’s my body, and I can do what I want” “it’s my money, and I can do what I want” “it’s my relationship, and I can do what I want” “it’s my ______, and I can do what I want.” As followers of Christ, we are called to reject lies and falsehood. So you fill in the blank – what is it that you believe is yours to control and mold into what you want it to be? That mindset of ownership is a lie, because, according to the word of God, He is the sole owner of everything. Anything He has given you has been extended to you only because of His great mercy, and He expects you to steward what He places in your lap in a way that brings Him glory and furthers His kingdom by spreading the gospel.
But take heart – there is great hope! We are all naturally inclined to want to take control and use our gifts and the blessings God has given us to serve ourselves. We all fail in that way. But what is vital to a true believer is that when you recognize that you are believing a lie that is not bringing God glory, you act quickly and repent. God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9), and He will be faithful to help you readjust your thinking in order to find freedom and joy in believing the Truth (John 8:31-32). God is infinitely trustworthy, and you can rest in knowing that His control and ownership will always be better than the control and ownership you may think you have.
So, as you begin to think about stewardship, make the decision today to spend some time recognizing in which areas you are believing the lie that you own something and have the right to do what you want. Take those thoughts captive and throw them away, because in reality, God owns everything, and you own nothing. Praise the Lord that He doesn’t give us ownership and control; that responsibility is only for an almighty God. We are called to let Him be God, and we His humble slaves. Let us cry out to God daily to help us be His good stewards.
