The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Psalm 24:1-2
R. G. LeTourneau said, “My motto is not how much of my money I give to God but how much of God’s money I keep for myself. You see it is all His.” Everything belongs to God. The entirety of what we have is from God and belongs to God. We make a mistake when we consider ourselves owners of what comes into our lives. A steward oversees the property or financial affairs of another period ownership belongs to God and stewardship belongs to man.
Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
1 Corinthians 4:2
Everything belongs to God by virtue of creation. He created it, so it belongs to Him. The house or apartment you live in may have your name on the deed, but it belongs to Him. The car you drive, the clothes in your closet, all of it belongs to God. We are stewards over those things but not owners. We miss the importance of the tithe when we say that the tenth belongs to the Lord because all of it belongs to Him. The tithe is a representative of the whole, and the whole belongs to God.
The Tithe
Sometimes in full gospel circles, we get the idea that only the 10% belongs to God. We tend to think of the tithe as God’s portion of our income. That totally misses the boat. The 100% belongs to God. We need to take care of what God has given us. Take care of your house and your car because they belong to God. You are being a good steward over your house when you mow your yard. Take care of your clothes as unto the Lord and there will be a blessing! If you have to move the empty fast-food bags just so someone can sit in your car, there is a stewardship problem.
Recognize Problems
You know that there is a problem with your stewardship if the Lord asks you to give something away and you can’t or won’t because it is too precious to you. When you resist the direction of the Spirit to give, you are no longer acting as a steward. When a steward begins to do as he wishes with the Master’s goods, he will cease to be blessed.
He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Luke 16:10
As a steward, begin to see the money you have as His money. Make your time and resources 100% available to Him 100% of the time. Purpose to be a part of every offering. Look at the offerings as an opportunity to increase your stewardship.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
Luke 16:11
If you pass the test of stewardship by being faithful with what He has given you, He will commit the true riches to you. Take good care of what He has given you and be sensitive to give as the Lord directs. Begin today to see things from a stewardship perspective. If you take care of what you have now, then you will be a candidate for the greater blessing of God.
