Our Maker's Money

It was created by God

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours – you created it all.
Psalm 89:11

To rightly see our place, and where we fit in the grand scheme of the universe, we must first and foremost acknowledge God; the Creator of the universe, the earth and all that is in it, including ourselves.

God created the heavens and earth for His glory, not for our own. In the very beginning of the Bible it speaks of the things that God has created, the light and the darkness, the waters and the lands, the plants and the trees, the stars in the heavens, all the living creatures in the sea, sky, and land, and finally, man in His own image.

He created man and woman to take care of, and manage His possessions, not our own. We have been entrusted to care for and look after the things that He has created.


It is owned by God

The highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 10:14

For "the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."
1Corinthians 10:26

Just as we have to acknowledge that God has created everything, we must also acknowledge that He still owns everything. Just because He has given us His earth, His lands, His seas, and His possessions to manage does not make them ours to do with as WE please, but as He pleases.

Our Lord has taken great care in providing instructions on how we are to manage our lives, our estates, our relationships, our children, and our possessions. The Word contains invaluable information on how to live according to His plan and, if we choose to follow His instructions, we can experience all of the joy that He has planned for us.

If we are hired to manage someone’s household to ensure that the house is cleaned, the lawn stays mowed, his car is maintained, his bills are paid, and his staff is managed, do those things become ours? No, we are simply taking care of our employer’s things and doing the job that we were hired to do.


It can be taken away by God

The LORD destroys the house of the proud, but he protects the property of widows.
Proverbs 15:25

The LORD makes one poor and another rich; he brings one down and lifts another up.
1Samuel 2:7

What happens if we fail to take care of the things properly, in the manner specified by the owner? They get taken away and we find ourselves looking for a new employer. How similar it is with our relationship with God. If we are not living according to His wisdom, and taking care of things that we have been entrusted with, they are taken away. The greatest example of this is how we conduct our own lives. I can’t count the times that I was ‘fired’ because of my inability to do things His way. Not only was I doing the things wrong, but also I was working for the wrong employer! We must choose to do things the right way, for the right God.

We see several examples of this in scripture. Solomon was probably the most powerful, the wisest, and richest man that ever lived:

So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth.
1Kings 10:23

However, he constantly failed to adhere to the scriptures and eventually his kingdom was divided.

The LORD was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the LORD's command. So now the LORD said to him, "Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my laws, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants."
1Kings 11:9-11

God wants us to be blessed and prosper, but he wants us to be good stewards with the things that we have been given and to acknowledge that what we have is only because of Him and not of our own doing.