A Stewardship Thought - God’s Ownership
By Tim Boyd
January 2012
Stewardship is one of those subjects that often is not popular with some church members. It is usually associated with the giving of money and therefore threatening to those who struggle with biblical ideas about tithes and offerings.
However, stewardship is a much broader subject than monetary gifts to the church. It touches all areas of a believer’s life. It is the recognition that we have an obligation to God to recognize the Lordship of Christ in everything. Stewardship begins with recognizing that God has ownership of everything in His creation.
The book of Genesis reminds us that God created everything out of nothing. He has created; therefore, He owns. Man is part of that creation; therefore, He owns us as well as everything that we possess. In Genesis 1:28, God assigns to man the stewardship of everything in creation. We are still under that obligation. God owns. He has given us all that we have as a trust for our care.
In the context of His ownership God has asked us to contribute to the completion of the Kingdom of Christ. That involves our time, talent and, yes, our money. Why should we willingly comply, even rejoice, in the opportunity to embrace our obligation as stewards?
The answer to that question should be obvious. God has not only created us and given us this wonderful creation in which we live, He has also redeemed us from our sin. Through His act of redemption, Jesus has established His Lordship over us. His Lordship demands our stewardship.
Personally, giving my time, talent and money is a great privilege and a way of showing my gratitude for the salvation that has been given to me freely by Christ. Earlier in my life, I struggled a little with giving money. But the more I have come to understand the greatness of my salvation, the more joyful has been my giving.
Find joy in your giving as we enter into this new year!
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