My Possessions Are My Own, Not God’s

Quite often I hear fellow Christians say that what they have is not their own. I mean they say things like “It’s God’s money” when talking about the bank account with their name on it. Or as one godly woman I know said as she waited to see if a wildfire would destroy her home, “It’s God’s house; he can do with it what he wants.” But her name was on the deed, wasn’t it?

A Few Relevant Bible Verses

I agree with them. I think of the psalm that says the earth and everything on it belongs to the Lord. James wrote that every good gift comes from above. John the Baptist tells his disciples that you can’t receive anything except that heaven gives it to you. But only the first two references could be said to address possessions. The others more likely refer to revelation or knowledge. (Ps. 24:1-2; Ja. 1:17, 1 Cor. 4:7; John 3:27).

They Shared Everything They Had

The only other biblical passage I can think of that addresses this is in Acts. It describes the church sharing everything. Some people sold land they owned and brought the money to the Apostles. One couple, Ananias and Sapphira, sold some property and brought some of the profit to the Apostles, keeping a portion of it for themselves. This is revealed through the Holy Spirit to Peter, who strikes them dead for lying to God. (Acts 4:32-5:10)

When I first read this I thought the couple’s mistake was in keeping some money for themselves. Then I heard someone teach that the sin was that they lied about how much profit they made, pretending to give the whole thing to the Church. I think this is right on, especially because Peter says, “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control?” (Acts 5:4) Peter acknowledges the property belonged to Ananias. Even after he sold it, the money was still his. Also, the way the author describes the stuff being shared as the possessions of their respective owners, including Barnabas, “who owned a tract of land.” (Acts 4:32, 37)

Gifts To Mom

It’s like cooking breakfast for your mom on Mother’s Day. You make a warm, stack of pancakes and pour the orange juice. You walk into her bedroom pleased with yourself and your mom genuinely thanks you. Now you could say, “Well, you bought the pancake mix and the plates and glasses. It’s really already yours, isn’t it?” That would diminish the act of giving, even if what you said was true. In a very true sense, the pancake mix and the rest belong to you. They’ve been given to you and while you possessed it, you had every right to make breakfast for yourself. But instead, like a grateful child would, you gave to your mother what you had rights to. Going through the whole thought process of receiving the gift then giving it, brings more glory to God than merely saying it all belongs to him anyway.

Self-Examination

Maybe I’m going on about nothing. And I had to really examine myself to see if I wasn’t just feeding my pride by saying that the things I own are truly mine. Is it so I can pat myself on the back up when I do give up my stuff for God’s purposes? After all it’s my gift to him.

Maybe my real contention isn’t with others who say it all belongs to God. They’ve probably already gone through this thinking. What are they responding to if not someone saying “that property is yours?” Maybe my real contention is with myself who has sometimes failed to see that the Receiver of my gift is also the source of the gift.