Our resources are not really ours; they belong to God. They're not given for us to profit by nor have they been placed in our care so we can pursue our own agenda. It's not our stuff! And knowing that takes a big burden off our shoulders.
God has made various resources available to us. He's given us natural resources like time and money. He's given us spiritual gifts and talents, and He's given us helpful relationships with people who can share their skills and abilities with us.
So, when we think about it, we've got every resource God has available to help us fulfill His purpose for our lives.
Not Your Own!
All the resources we're managing-including our own lives-are, first of all, God's property. This truth has great power to simplify our lives because in reality, we don't own anything.
Our resources are not really ours; they belong to God. They're not given for us to profit by nor have they been placed in our care so we can pursue our own agenda. It's not our stuff! And knowing that takes a big burden off our shoulders.
Everything is God's. We're stewards, or managers. We're here on this earth to manage life's resources on His behalf. This is the essence of what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: "Know ye not that...ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
So, the first perception change we have to embrace is that we're not in this for ourselves. We've been bought at the unimaginably high price of the blood of Jesus. Realizing this truth will help us avoid selfish motives.
The moment self begins to drive our decision-making process, we're complicating and encumbering our lives. However, when we focus our concern on stewardship rather than on self, life will become less complex.
The stewardship calling is eternal, and managing on God's behalf now prepares us for our eternal rulership in heaven!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
