Ownership or Stewardship?

It’s true, people are born with an innate desire to posses. Children at play argue loudly, “That’s mine!” Though adults tend to be more civilized about it, you’ll find the same sentiment voiced repeatedly: “I want what’s mine!”

God recognized this tendency in His people and instituted the Year of Jubilee to help teach them a crucial spiritual truth. Every fifteenth year, all land that had been sold was to be returned to it’s original owner. And every acre of land was to remain uncultivated in order to remind the nation that the land belonged not to them, but to God. He would give it to them Lev. 25:2, and they would enjoy it–not as owners but as aliens and tenants (sojourners) Lev. 25:23.

How do you view your possessions? Do you hold on to them tightly, or have you recognized them as something graciously “loaned” to you by God? Remember, a steward is someone who owns nothing, but is responsible for everything entrusted to his care. If it helps, think of everything you have in these terms: “Mine by stewardship, His by ownership!” Get the picture?

“If you owned everything your heart desired, chances are your heart would desire something else.”

Be the Blessing

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