Ultimate ownership

A familiar word heard in any place where children play is “mine.” The idea of claiming possessions begins early! However, the Bible says I do not own anything. Instead, I am a steward or manager of whatever He has blessed me with. Part of that stewardship is taking good care of it; another part is sharing what I have with others who have needs.

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. (Romans 12:10-13)

This is the same passage from previous days, this time with the emphasis on “distributing to the needs of the saints.” In the Bible, the word “saint” simply means “holy” or set apart by God and for God. It is not about people with a halo, nor is it a title reserved for a certain few who are particularly pious. The designation of a saint is not conferred by church leaders because the Bible is clear that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is a saint, from the greatest to the least.

Giving to the needs of the saints was immediately evident in the actions of Christians in the early church. Right after Jesus ascended and as believers met together, they “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers . . . [and] all who believed were together, and had all things in common” (Acts 2:42, 44).

In other words, they didn’t consider anything they owned as their own, yet each believer still controlled the use of what they had been intrusted with. In one situation where a man claimed to give the entire sum, he was found to have lied because he only gave part.

Peter said to him, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4).

This man was not condemned for only giving part of what he had, but for lying about it. He may have lied to look good in the eyes of others, but his pride and greed became tools in the hands of Satan and he paid a terrible price for his sin.

For me, the point is that no matter what I have, God is the owner. He can do with it as He pleases. I’m thinking of one summer many years ago. We had a lovely vegetable garden in the back yard, but the weather constantly brought severe hail storms all around us. I was frantic about my garden until I finally realized that the garden was not mine. I prayed, “God, this is Your garden. If You want to send a hail storm and ruin it that is Your right. I do not own it.”

My anxiety disappeared. The garden made it through that summer. We even had 6-7 foot tomato plants with hundreds of tomatoes, and a great crop of other vegetables. I gave away baskets filled with it! I know that God could have chosen otherwise regarding the hail, but that one incident comes back to mind every time I get anxious about something happening to my stuff.

Thieves can break in and steal. Weather can ruin possessions. Appliances can stop working. All sorts of things can happen, but the Lord reminds me not to worry. These were His things before He gave them to my care, and ultimately, He is in charge of what happens to them. My mind is set free from worrying about the “stuff” in our lives, as long as I remember that none of it is really mine anyway.

Taking that a step farther, I am also free to give it away. Sometimes He asks me to part with something that I really like or enjoy. At that point, I have to remember that He gave it to me in the first place, or allowed me to have it, so if I really need it, He is perfectly capable of providing another one.