WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 11, 2022
TOPIC: GOD DOESN’T WANT TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU WILL OWN BUT WILL STEWARD FOR HIM
BY T. O. BANSO
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1 New International Version).
It is in the character of man to want things that he can claim as his own. It makes him feel good and fulfilled. It boosts his ego. God has no problem blessing His children with things that will make life better for them. He has pleasure in the prosperity, well-being, or welfare of His servant (Psalm 35:27).
However, the Lord does not want to give His children what they will own; He wants to give them what they will steward! In other words, He gives them what they’ll manage or use on His behalf. The original mandate God gave man at creation was to manage the earth on His behalf. He put man in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it (Genesis 2:15). He also gave man dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28; 9:1-4). The dominion mandate still stands.
God’s purpose in giving His children things – give them material things or put them in good positions – is not so that they can use them for their selfish goals or vain glory. When God gives you something or allows you to acquire something or occupy a position, it’s not so that you’ll only have a self-satisfied feeling of ownership, but so that you’ll be a steward, who is accountable to Him.
It is not that God does not want you to enjoy whatever good things He gives you, but He wants you to have the mindset and attitude of a steward, as you enjoy His blessings. This is what makes you not become a slave to what God has blessed you with or become proud or intoxicated with power.
He warned the children of Israel that after receiving His blessings in the Land of Canaan, they should not say that the power and the might of their hand had gained them their wealth (Deuteronomy 8:11-17). Verse 18 says, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (New King James Version).
In walking with God, always acknowledge that God owns everything you have, and He puts you in any office you occupy. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1 New International Version). James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (New King James Version).
God wants to bless you with things that will make life better for you but He expects you to be a faithful steward. Paul said the apostles should be considered servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. He noted that it was required in stewards that they should be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Stewardship is not limited to the Gospel ministry.
If you become proud because of the things you have or the position you occupy, it is because you do not see yourself as a steward or manager, but as the owner. You will become humble once you realize that whatever you have belongs to God and there is nothing you have that He didn’t give you. As the apostle Paul puts it, “What makes you better than anyone else? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 New Living Translation).
Let nothing go to your head; remain a steward, no matter the promotion the Lord allows you to enjoy or the blessings He showers on you. Hear the words of the Apostle Peter: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10 New King James Version).
Please take note of the opening sentence in that scripture: “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” That should be your goal. Your spiritual gifts are not for you but for others. He gave you to bless others, not to show off or become arrogant. “The Holy Spirit displays God’s power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church” (1 Corinthians 12:7 The Living Bible). Be a good steward of the spiritual gifts you have received from God and the blessings of God that are evident in your life. Don’t be selfish.
If you steward what God has given you, you will use it for His glory whether it is a spiritual gift or material possession. “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11 New King James Version).
If you’re a good and faithful steward, God will increase His blessings in your life. This is what the master of the servant, who earned five more talents from his investment of the five talents he was given, said: “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21 New King James Version). He said a similar thing to the servant who had been given two talents and earned two more talents.
However, the wicked servant, who went to hide his talent in the ground and didn’t make a profit with it, but rather insulted his master, was dispossessed of the one talent he had been given. It was given to the servant who had earned five more talents. The master ordered that he should be cast into outer darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:28-30) The faithful steward will be blessed, but the evil steward will be punished (Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-48).
God doesn’t want to give you what you will own but what you’ll steward. Abraham understood that he was a steward, not the owner of Isaac. Thus, he had no difficulty obeying God’s command to sacrifice Isaac. But when he was about to sacrifice Isaac to God, He stopped him, allowed Abraham to keep him, and blessed Abraham again (Genesis 22:1-18).
Hannah, who had no child, obviously saw God as the owner of everything when she vowed to give back to God the child she had prayed for although she had no other child at that time. She returned some years later to fulfil her vow. She gave Samuel to the LORD to belong to Him as long as he lived (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
Hannah didn’t own Samuel; she was only a steward. The LORD visited her and gave her three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21). You could have anything but don’t own anything! Remember that you came naked from your mother’s womb and you will return naked. You will leave empty-handed (Job 1:21a; Ecclesiastes 5:15a).
You may be very rich but what you have is not yours. You are a steward or you should be a steward, a faithful steward. 1 Timothy 6:17 says, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy” (New King James Version).
Paul continued: “Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (verses 18-19 New King James Version). As a good steward, share with others the blessings of God in your life; don’t be stingy or selfish.
God doesn’t want to give you what you will own but what you will steward. Be a faithful and wise steward.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Holy Spirit, help me to be a faithful and wise steward of the blessings of God in my life both spiritual and physical. I shall not be an unprofitable servant in Jesus’ name. I pray that in all things in my life, God will be glorified through Jesus Christ. I also pray that as each child of God has received a gift, he shall minister it to others, as a good steward of the manifold grace of God in Jesus’ name.
(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
