Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 TIMOTHY 6:18-19
All that we have comes from God and belongs to God. “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). Our resources, including our time and gifts as well as our money and things, are a trust that we manage, not truly our own possessions or things we provided for ourselves, even if it feels that way. It’s important that we be good stewards.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” He continues in verse 7, “What do you have that you did not receive?” While Paul was talking about the truth of God He’d been entrusted with, the principle is true for all that we’ve been given to take care of in this life.
In 1 Chronicles 29:14, after the people gave wholeheartedly for building the Temple of God, King David prayed, “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.”
As believers, we need to learn to live generously with everything we have, knowing that God will take care of us in return, and provide for even further generosity. According to Proverbs 11:25, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” We are also assured in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” We have no need to store or hoard things up for ourselves, because God will supply all our needs (Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:19).
God entrusted us with things so that we would administer them for Him and “excel in the grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7). When we spend our time, talents, and money on things that matter, we follow the instructions of Jesus in Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Ultimately, God is our treasure. He should have our hearts more firmly than anything that passes through our hands on this earth. While He certainly gives us good things for our enjoyment, our hope and worth should be found in Him, rather than in what He provides.
In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), we learn that God wants us to invest what is entrusted to us rather than to bury or hoard it, in order to reap a larger harvest. When we prove faithful with what He has given us, He will then entrust us with more. How amazing it will be to hear God say to us one day, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21, ESV).