Nothing Belongs to You

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Psalm 24:1

This simple verse from the psalms tells us in no uncertain terms that everything and everyone belongs to the Lord. Donald S. Whitney drives the import of this verse home to us in his powerful book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life when he says... 

The house you live in, is God’s house. The trees in your yard are God’s trees. The grass that you mow is God’s grass... The car you drive is God’s car. The clothes you wear and those hanging in your closet belong to God… You don’t own anything. God owns everything and you are His manager… You are just a temporary steward of things that belong to God.*

We don’t use the word ‘steward’ very often, but a steward is someone who has been entrusted with the care of something that does not belong to them. It’s not their property, but they are responsible for managing it. And they are held accountable by the owner for what they do with it.

Whether you know it or not, you are a steward! You manage and safeguard and even spend that which does not belong to you. And, just like any other steward, one day you will have to stand before the Owner and give an account of how you managed what He entrusted to your care. As Romans 14:12 says, “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

If you had to stand before the Lord and give an account of your life today, would you be happy with how you have used the time and money God has given you? Has God been glorified? Have lost people heard about Jesus because of you? Has the church been strengthened? Have God’s people been encouraged in their faith because of what you did? Have you spent your life in service to the Lord or in service to yourself?

If you aren't so sure that you have been a faithful steward of what God has entrusted to your care, then make today the day you start doing better. 

*Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. (NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO) 2002, p 141.

Infantile Thinking

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14

There are some Christians in our day who push back on the spiritual disciplines as being too legalistic for their liking. They actually scoff at the idea of reading their Bible every day, or memorizing Scripture, or fasting, or putting great effort into studying Scripture. When they think of such discipline all they see is Pharisaic attempts to earn God's favor. But this is folly!

It is true that any good deed can become a striving after legalism, but surely that does not mean that Christians should no longer commit good deeds! No! We are called to produce good fruit for the kingdom of God. We can't refuse to bring in the harvest now just because there is a possibility of doing so in a wrong way. That would be absurd! Instead, we should continue to bring in the harvest while being extra careful to do so rightly.

The same is true with spiritual disciplines. Just because it is possible to read your Bible daily and not really know God, doesn't mean we should stop reading our Bibles. Just because it is possible to fast and pray only to convince yourself that you are better than others, doesn't mean that we should no longer seek God's help in the manner He has prescribed for us. No! 

Hebrews 5:14 says, "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Maturity in the Christian faith comes from constant use and training. It is wholly by God's grace, but it often encompasses and utilizes our efforts as His means. Be careful not to give in to legalism. Don't practice the spiritual disciplines to prove your worth. But DO practice the spiritual disciplines! Because they are the means God has given us to grow in our faith. So be careful to set aside time to read your Bible, study your Bible, memorize and meditate on God's Word, fast and pray, share your faith, serve the church, give sacrificially and everything else that is proclaimed to be good and right in God's Word. Work hard at growing in your faith. Watch out for legalism, yes, but guard against laziness and stunted growth just as fervently. Let us no longer be infants but grow in our walk with the Lord!