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.
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