You Manage Your Money; You Don’t Own It
By Rick Warren
“Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip.” Matthew 25:14-15 (GNT)
Jesus says in Matthew 25:14-15, “Once there was a man who was about to leave home on a trip; he called his servants and put them in charge of his property. He gave to each one according to his ability: to one he gave five thousand gold coins, to another he gave two thousand, and to another he gave one thousand. Then he left on his trip” (GNT).
Instead of using a bank, when this rich man left for his long trip, he entrusted his property to his servants. When he returned, he asked each one for an account of how they’d handled his money.
What the rich man was looking for was good stewardship. The word stewardship is related to the Old English word for “manager.” Your stewardship—your management—is key to your financial freedom. The first law of financial freedom is the law of possession: Everything you have belongs to God. You are only a manager!
You are called to be a steward of your time. You are called to be a steward of your influence. You are called to be a steward of your health, your relationships, and your opportunities. God calls you to be steward or manager of everything you have.
You may say, “But wait a minute! I worked for my money, and now you want to tell me it isn’t mine?” Where do you think you got your body to work for your money? Where do you think you got your mind to work for it? Where do you think you got the energy to work for it? Where do you think you got the intelligence to work for it? Everything you have comes from God.
You don’t really own anything in life; it’s all on loan. You only get to use God’s money while you’re here on Earth. He’s loaned it to you for a few decades. He loaned it to somebody before you, and he’s going to loan it to somebody else after you die. You don’t own it; the Master owns it all. You just get to manage it.
Do you know what the sign is that you’ve forgotten the law of possession? When you think your money is yours, you worry about it. You feel a pressure and stress that you weren’t meant to.
Money management is a spiritual discipline. God is watching how you handle his money to see what spiritual riches he can trust you with in heaven. This might make you feel pressure, but there is actually freedom in the law of possession.
When you remember that God is the owner and you are the manager, you’ll worry a whole lot less and focus more on managing God’s money well.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Your Gift DOUBLES to Reach Even More People Around the World for Jesus!
Thank you for your generous gift below to help take the Gospel into all the world and make disciples of nearly every nation through messages about the certain hope of Jesus.
Your support of Daily Hope helps change lives, now and for eternity.
And as thanks for your gift—doubled today by the $50,000 Matching Grant—we’ll send you Pastor Rick’s 40 Days in the Word Bible study, a 6-session video series and accompanying workbook designed to help you develop biblical habits that reignite a passion for God’s Word and renew your relationship with Jesus.
Request your study kit when you give today—and thank you for partnering with us to share the hope of Jesus all around the world!
*All gifts will be doubled up to the full amount of the grant.
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.
