11-07-21 | The Myth of "Mine"
THE MYTH OF “MINE”
1. It All Belongs to God
1 Chronicles 29:10-11 (NLT) – “Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: ‘O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may You be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore you as the One who is over all things.’”
1 Chronicles 29:12-13 (NLT) – “’Wealth and honor come from You alone, for You rule over everything. Power and might are in Your hand, and at Your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious Name!’”
1 Chronicles 29:14-15 (NLT) – “’But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to You? Everything we have has come from You, and we give You only what You first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.’”
1 Chronicles 29:16-17 (NLT) – “’O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a temple to honor Your holy Name comes from You! It all belongs to You! I know, my God, that You examine our hearts and rejoice when You find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched Your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.’”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT) – “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.”
1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) – “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
2. Take Risks
Matthew 25:14-15 (NLT) – “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.”
Matthew 25:16-18 (NLT) – “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.”
Matthew 25:19-20 (NLT) – “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’”
Matthew 25:21 (NLT) – “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
Matthew 25:22-23 (NLT) – “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
Matthew 25:24-25 (NLT) – “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’”
Matthew 25:26-27 (NLT) – “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’”
Matthew 25:28-30 (NLT) – “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Ephesians 5:16 (NASB) – “Making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”
3. Steward with Excellence
Colossians 3:23 (NIV) – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
Colossians 3:17 (NLT) – “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
“A steward is someone entrusted with another’s wealth or property and charged with the responsibility of managing it in the owner’s best interest.” – Randy Alcorn
A. Be Grateful
1 Chronicles 29:13 (NKJV) – “Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious Name.”
B. Be Wise
Matthew 25:14 (NKJV) – “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.”
C. Be Generous
1 Chronicles 29:14b (NKJV) – “For all things come from You and of Your own, we have given You.”
D. Be Faithful
1 Corinthians 4:2 (NKJV) – “Moreover, it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.”
Discussion/Reflection Questions:
1. Do you struggle with the word, “mine”?
2. When you think of the word, “mine”, what comes to your mind?
3. Do you believe that God owns everything? If so, do you believe He owns you?
4. What does it mean to you when you read that you have been bought with a price?
5. Have you ever transferred title of ownership to the Lord? Do you need to renew that title transfer today? What difference could this make in our lives?
6. What does it mean to be a steward for Jesus Christ?
7. When was the last time you stepped out in risk to advance the Kingdom and steward well? Share how that went.
8. What stewardship of time (relationships), talent (giftings/abilities), and treasure (resources) could you step out in risk to advance the Kingdom? Ask the Holy Spirit, then discuss with a friend or family member.
9. Thinking about the four characteristics of a good steward listed above, in which of these are you strong? Are there any in which you are struggling today?