It All Belongs To God

Psalms 24:1
1 Chronicles 29:24
Philippians 4:19
 
There was a young man that had gotten married and he and his wife had bought a house.  He wanted to make the yard look good for his in-laws’ first visit to the house, but his lawn mower was broken.  He borrowed the lawn mower from his neighbor Ben, then cut the grass, edged it, and manicured the yard.  When everything was looking good he was pressed for time so he put the lawn mower in his garage.  His in-laws came and bragged on how well the house and yard looked.  A week later, Ben comes and knocks on his door and says, Hey, man, I thought you would bring my mower back.  The young man apologized and gave him his mower.  So obviously there is that one thing, the mower belongs to Ben.  When we borrow something, the person is expecting it back, and when we’re talking about God, it all belongs to Him.
 
In fact, Psalms 24 tells us “the earth is the Lord’s...”  Everything we see is a product of God - this concrete, these tables, the roof over our heads, the light fixtures – everything was made by God. Look at the brother next to you – he is a product of God. God created man in His image; He breathed into man the breath of life and man became a living soul.  Now a man can try to stake a claim; he can say “I invented that”, but where did the product used to invent it come from? It all comes from God. 
 
“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 1 Chronicles 29:14 NIV
 
In other words the writer is saying all things come from you, God, it’s yours. We have given to you out of yours.  
 
And since it is His, He has a say in what we do with it. Please hear me this morning, don’t shut your fist up on God. We have to be willing to give. 
 
You could say He gives us the whole apple – He doesn’t break it half and He doesn’t lend it to us – He gives us the whole thing. The only thing He asks us to do is to give a tenth back to Him.  Don’t be one of those that goes to church every Sunday, sits down to hear the word, enjoys the music, enjoys the heat, enjoys the air, enjoys the good running water, and won’t even give.  There are missionaries right now on the mission field that are ministering to people that don’t know Jesus. How are they doing that? They can because people give.  How do you think Billy Graham could go all over the world - how do you think he could do that? He could because people gave.
 
I often say that life should be about making life better for someone else.  If you think about it, if you study the scriptures and study the life of Jesus you find that He did not do anything for Himself.  He didn’t perform a miracle for Himself; He didn’t do anything for Himself.  It was all about making life better for somebody else.  That’s what we should be about - making life better for somebody else.  When we give it helps make life better for somebody else.  And what we give is not even ours, it all belongs to God.
 
Using Brother Poole as an example, Pastor Randy Fuller and their church could not have done with they did for Bishop Evans and his church in Alberta City if people of God did not give. They were able to do that because people were willing to give.  I myself have been blessed by being able to give to those who were impacted by the storm and other situations.  It all belongs to Him and He gives it to us so that we will do the right thing.
 
When we give it is one way of putting God first in our lives, by acknowledging that everything that we have belongs to Him. 
 
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
 
You don’t have to worry about your needs. God is able to supply all your needs, as the scriptures say, according to His riches and glory.  It may not be easy, but we must be willing to trust God, and trust Him with our wallets!
 
Give to God and watch Him move in an awesome way.

​~J. T.