Ownership - Legacy Ministries Canada

“Mine.”

It is such a simple, small word, but one that holds great depths of meaning and significance in Biblical stewardship. As we start exploring the dangers to us fully embracing Biblical stewardship in our lives, this four-letter word poses perhaps the biggest danger of all those we will consider. This is the first major obstacle we must address to truly live the life of a steward.

Stewardship starts with ownership

In its simplest form, stewardship is caring for, or managing something that belongs to another. When we bring this into the context of Biblical stewardship, the first thing we must recognize is that God owns everything. (My previous post on ‘Ownership‘ breaks this out in more detail.)

This face has huge implications for us all, and not just in the context of stewardship. Today you will explore this fact further and consider the implications of this truth for Christians. It is one thing to understand this truth, it is quite another to have it alter your perceptions and actions. As you begin today, I would like you to read, and meditate on these three verses from Psalm 50.

Psalm 50:10–12
10 For every animal of the forest is Mine,

The cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird of the mountains,

And everything that moves in the field is Mine.

12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,

For the world is Mine, and everything it contains.

Asaph writes this Psalm as if it were God speaking. This small section is part of a larger dialogue that God is having with His chosen nation of Israel as he describes how he has no need of the things that they might bring because he owns so much.

Asaph rightly ascribes all of creation as “mine” when talking in God’s voice. Asaph, like David, (Psalm 24:1-2,) recognized that God has the right to claim any and every part of creation because he is Creator. For God to describe anything as “mine” is entirely right and appropriate.

We all use the word “Mine”

But what about us?

Isn’t the word “mine” used to describe things around you?

Things you own?

Things that are rightfully recognized as being yours?

Ownership has been an established part of every culture and society throughout history. It was, and is, necessary to distinguish which property belongs to different individuals. This prevents disputes, fights, and hopefully, theft. Ownership is one of the integral parts of our society today. Just ask anyone who has been or is in prison after being convicted of taking something that is not their own.

Children, early on, will exhibit a sense of “ownership” over things. Have you ever seen a sibling trying to take something from a brother or sister? “But it’s mine”. “Mom, they took my toy!” “Give it back, it’s not yours.” How many parents have listened to a child complain that what was taken was rightfully theirs? Persuasive arguments may be made to the adjudicating adult to settle the dispute, but then again, a small toddler just snapping out the word “mine” leaves the observer in no doubt they consider a thing theirs.

But I own things

We have many things that could be labelled “mine.” There is little doubt that you could look around you and identify things you would label in this way. Gifts you received, objects you made, or items you purchased. You have deeds and documentation with your name on that prove other things are yours. Society attributes ownership in these, and other, ways.

The use of the word “mine” is a real threat to understanding ownership for the steward.

The longer I consider something as “mine,” and not Gods, the longer it will take for me fully adopt the principles of stewardship into my life. Stewardship, as taught in the Bible, requires a radical perspective change. Even if I might label something as “mine”, in truth it belongs to God.

The reason this is so challenging is that if I view something as mine, by extension I get to determine what happens with it. It’s my money – I can spend it how I like. I own this car – I can use it how I please. It’s my time – I can do what I want with it. However, the recognition as God as the true owner of everything, including us as Christians, requires that perspective to change.

Regardless of whether my name is on the ownership papers, or if the money came out of my bank account, the recognition that it is Gods must change what we do with it. It’s his money – I will spend it how he wants. God owns this car – I can use it to serve him. It’s his time – how can I use it best for him?

It’s hard to let go

I will be honest with you, this is the part of stewardship that I struggle with most. The idea that something is mine is so natural and so ingrained in my mind that I have to consciously stop and remember that it truly is Gods when I am using it. I have realized though that the longer I keep holding onto something as mine, the less likely I am to willingly and happily use it for God.

This is one part stewardship that I do not have completely nailed down. (I don’t have any of them completely nailed down if we’re being completely open!) But by God’s grace, I am striving to do it better. I encourage you to give this some serious thought and consideration because it can become one of the greatest hinderances to us embracing stewardship in our lives.

Up Next:

The danger of Comparison

Explore Ownership more:

Stewardship Component #1 – Ownership

“My responsibility in light of Ownership” **Coming soon**

Welcome back to our series exploring the 5 components of Biblical stewardship. The first stewardship component we will consider together is ‘Ownership.’ We must start here because without fully grasping ownership’s significance, we will struggle in anything we attempt to steward.

Ownership is at the centre of stewardship.

I have mentioned in other posts on this site that while we often do not use ‘stewardship’ as a label today, the activity still occurs frequently. In its simplest form it is caring for, or managing something that belongs to another. If we look carefully we see stewardship played out around us in many diverse situations and vocations.

An individual who cares for your family’s pets while you are on vacation stewards your precious canines or felines. The GM of a sports team has a stewardship of that team on behalf of the owners. The manager of a fast food location running that restaurant for the franchise owner is that owner’s steward.

For a person to be a steward, there must necessarily be an owner of property for them to care for and use. When we consider Biblical Stewardship, the definition we use at Legacy Ministries Canada is:

“Stewardship is the care, management, and use
of God’s property, gifts and resources
by His people, for His glory.”

God owns everything.

I want to highlight the central words of our definition: “…God’s property, gifts, and resources…”.

The Bible presents God as the true and rightful owner of everything. We must start here. Biblical stewardship begins and ends with the recognition that God is the owner of everything. Not only must we recognize this, but we must also develop our understanding of stewardship around it.

In the parables in Luke 19 and Matthew 25, the property owners are clear. In Matthew 25 it is the “man” introduced in v14 and Luke depicts “a nobleman” in v12 of his account. Their property? Money. Or minas as Luke records.

These men take their money, and deliberately and intentionally entrust it to their servants, with a specific instruction of what they expect them to do with it. They could only do this if they were the owners of that property. Their ownership of the property gave them the right to do with it what they wanted.

Just as in these parables present a clear and uncontested owner of property, the Bible presents God as the rightful owner of everything . I would like you to consider these verses from Psalm 24:

Psalm 24:1–2

¹The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains,
The world, and those who live in it.

²For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.”

David squarely hits the core of stewardship in these verses: everything belongs to God. It is not just the earth that is His, but everything inside of it. It goes beyond this though and reaches to all those who live in it as well.

On what basis does he own everything?

How is this possible? Why is it this way? It is because God created it all. The word “for” at the start of verse two is one of the key words in these two verses. It establishes that this is the reality we live with because of what God did in creation.

What David strikes at here is that God’s claim to ownership is not arbitrary. He is not claiming it over another, or seeking to take what rightfully belongs to someone else. No, he is the owner of all things because he directly created them or caused them to come into being.

As a Christian, that includes me!

Scripture goes further, consider these verses in 1 Corinthians 6:

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

¹⁹…do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

²⁰For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Understanding God owns everything you consider yours is one thing. To realize he also owns you and me, takes it to a whole other level. As a believer in Jesus, and as Christ-followers, we belong to God.

I am going to speak here in terms of a servant/master relationship because that is the way it is presented in scripture. The metaphor aids the point being made. We may not think about it frequently but every single person serves one or multiple masters. These may be masters of work, status, looks, money, ability, fame. But the scariest master of all is sin.

Sin holds us in its grip and does not want to let us go. However, when we trusted Jesus to save us from sin, our service to sin as a master ended. (Romans 6:20) As a Christ-follower we gained a new master, the Lord God! Paul presents it this way in Romans 6:22, “…having been freed from sin and [are] enslaved to God…”

We traded one master for another. God paid full price for us. When Christ Jesus died for our sin, he purchased our salvation from God. When we believed in Him, confessed our sins, and were forgiven, we became God’s.

How does this tie into stewardship?

If God has ownership of you, he has the ultimate right to determine what you do and don’t do with your life, body, time, talents, possessions. Your everything.

This is hard to grasp, let alone live out. Especially because we live in a world where we hear over and over that we have complete control over our lives. But this is not true for the believer in Jesus. With God having ownership over you, you can confidently surrender yourself to His will without fear and apprehension because of His proven character, and allow him to direct your life.

With this reality influencing all of Biblical stewardship, it is essential that we consider the relationship that exists between the property owner and steward.

Up Next:

Component 2 – Relationship

Explore Ownership more:

The Danger of “Mine”