Psalms 24:1 1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
Psalm 24:1 teaches that everything belongs to the Lord: the earth, all it contains, and every person living in it. It points to God as creator and rightful ruler, and encourages humility, gratitude, and responsible care for the world and one another.
Things that we own can sometimes feel like they belong to us. We are only in charge of things for a short time. Everything comes from God and will go back to God. It’s not just things I’m talking about; I’m also talking about power and control. 11 and 12 of 1 Chronicles 29That which is great, powerful, glorious, majesty, and beautiful is yours, O LORD. You own everything in heaven and on earth. The kingdom is yours, O LORD; you are crowned as head over everything. 12 You are the one who controls everything, so wealth and honor come from you. You hold the strength and power to raise everyone up and give them strength.
It doesn’t matter how much power or influence you gain; it all comes from God and heads back to God. Since He is all-powerful, all power comes from Him and goes back to Him. We need to understand this truth so that we don’t get caught up in the idea of having things. You don’t own that house. You don’t own those clothes. The kids you have are not yours. They are all God’s. What should that mean for how we feel when we have to give any of these up? Whenever we feel like something is ours, we will hold on tight and be sad when it is taken away. If we know that everything comes from God and goes back to God, we can let go and thank Him for the short time He gave us to manage His gifts.
Being honest about the truth will also keep us from thinking that God owes us something. Verse 35: “Who has ever given to God so that God would repay him?” We’ve never given God something that wasn’t already His. Now, do you still feel as kind about the big gift you gave before? It was already God’s. Giving when the Holy Spirit tells us to is just a reminder that we are servants and should do what God tells us to do with what is already His.
Idea: Take a look around. Imagine putting a sign on everything that says, “On loan from Almighty God.” Think about how that would change how you feel about everything you own.
