There is a verse in Psalms which says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.”  What that means is that we do not own anything.  It is only ours to use for a little while.  Ultimately, everything in this world belongs to God.

 Deep in our hearts, we all recognize the truth of that.  Yet somehow, we tend to live our lives on a different basis.  We act as if these earthly possessions were ours forever.  We commit our time and energy to their accumulation.  We cling to them as if it were for all eternity.  It seems as if somewhere, somehow, we would recognize the truth of our stewardship and forget the illusion of our ownership. 

One of the most famous stories that Jesus ever told is about a rich farmer whose harvest was so great that his barns could not hold it.  So, he built larger barns and said to himself, “Eat, drink and be merry.  You have all that you need for years to come.”  But God called the man a fool and asked him, “Whose shall these things be that you have provided?”

That is the question we all have to answer.  One thing is for sure, they will not be ours for very long.  We can leave them to our heirs, but they will not be theirs for very long.  In this world we are only stewards of what is really God’s.  The ultimate and final ownership belongs to God.  If we fail to recognize that truth, we are not fooling anyone but ourselves. 

As stewards of God’s blessings, we need to share what we have with others.  In other words, either use it or lose it.  That is one of the basic laws of life.  We can observe its operation in every area.  Look at the physical.  If you don’t use your muscles, you lose that ability to use them.

How long has it been since you jogged a mile?  You might find that an almost impossible task.  Part of it may be age, but most of it is inactivity.

The same thing is observable in other realms of living.  If we don’t pray, we weaken and possibly even lose our ability to pray.  If we don’t give, we forget the joy of giving.  One of the most costly luxuries that any one of us can enjoy is refusing to use the privileges at our disposal. 

We don’t own anything.  We are stewards.  In the final analysis, everything belongs to God.  We are responsible to Him for what we do with what we have. 

Most of us enjoy a remarkable advantage.  We have every opportunity to live life at its productive best.  What we do with that is up to you and me.  The grace of God is free, but the responsibilities of privilege are   real.  Life holds us accountable for the things that we have.

We need to remember this and reflect on it and then do something about it!