When it comes to the people to whom I loan any of my important items, I am careful. I want to be sure that those I loan anything to will take care of the items they will borrow. On a larger scale, when someone loans me something, I am exceedingly careful. I want to return the item I borrowed to my friend in even better condition than when I borrowed it. You can probably relate. We were reminded in the weekend message that everything we have here on this earth belongs to God. As a result, we must manage what belongs to Him with great care.
As we have studied the parable told by Jesus in Luke 16 together this week, we have seen that God calls us to manage all of the gifts and earthly resources that He has given us here on this earth in such a way that we are building up God’s kingdom rather than building earthly kingdoms for ourselves. We are to leverage these gifts, talents, resources, and possessions to make Christ known to everyone around us, always seeking to reach those who are lost. After all, this world is temporary; God and His kingdom are eternal. If we need even more motivation to steward our earthly possessions, gifts, and resources well, we need to look no further than the truth that everything we have on this earth actually belongs to God, not us. We are merely stewards of all of the gifts that he has given us. David understood this truth, and he wrote about it in 1st Chronicles 29. He said, “Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom” (verse 11). Notice the word “everything” in this verse. Not one thing here on earth does not belong to Him. In light of this truth, David wrote several verses later, “Who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have comes from You, and we give You only what you first gave us” (verse 14). Because God is the creator and owner of everything in heaven and earth, when we give back to God, we are simply returning what belongs to Him in the first place.
The truth that everything here on earth belongs to God prompts us to be good stewards of all He has given us. After all, everything we have belongs to Him, the God of the Universe. We must handle them with the utmost care.
As you go throughout your day today, live with the truth that everything you have belongs to God, including your time, resources, talents, and even the people in your life. Let this truth impact your decisions, words, and actions today. Commit to having this mindset not just today, but every single day of your life.
“God, everything I have belongs to You. Help me…”
Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! 2 Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble.
3 “And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. 4 I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings 5 and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?”
6 Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. 7 For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold, 10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. 8 They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. 9 The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy.
David’s Prayer of Praise
10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.
13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
