Owner or Steward?

Tom Barnard

 

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”

1 Corinthians 6:19b-20 NIV

 

Among the first words infants learn to say is, “Mine.” “Yours” comes later in life, hopefully. Children learn very early that ownership is important. It’s like the old saying, “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is negotiable.” For the Christian, ownership is not a primary principle of life. But stewardship is. John Wesley understood the difference between the two terms. He said,

 

“When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, he placed you here not as an owner but as a steward—as such he entrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds—but the sole property (ownership) of these still rests in him, nor can it ever be alienated from him. You are not your own, but His….”

 

Someone has said, “If we belong to Christ, it’s logical that everything we have truly belongs to Him.” The trouble with this thinking is that when it comes to the things we possess, we want to revert to our childhood. We find it easy to say, “Mine.” By that we mean, “I work for my money; when I buy something, it belongs to me. I own it.” That’s how the world sees things. But that’s not how God sees things. If we are His, He owns everything that we possess. We are temporary stewards. We need to act that way.

 

Heavenly Father, I know I am accountable to you in everything—including everything I possess. But I look at other Christians, and they seem to be proud of what they “own.” My heart convicts me when I think this way. Thank you for reminding me that I belong to you. Thank you for reminding me of the price you paid for my salvation. I had nothing when I found you; everything I have is a gift from you. I accept my role as a steward of the things you have given me. I am determined to hold these with a loose grip. Help me to be comfortable with this. Amen.