On loan

Command those who are rich . . . to trust . . . in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. – 1 Timothy 6:17

I am surrounded every day by things that don’t belong to me, yet I call them mine. For instance, I refer to the computer I am using to write this article as "my Mac". I talk about "my office", "my desk", and "my phone". But none of this equipment belongs to me. It’s mine to use, but not mine to keep. When RBC Ministries "gave" it to me, we both knew what that meant: It was on loan.

This kind of situation is not unique to employer-employee relationships. That’s the way it is with all of us and all of the things we call our own. When we speak of our family, our house, or our car, we are speaking of people and things God has allowed us to enjoy while here on earth, but they really belong to Him. Notice the psalmist’s praise to God, "The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours" (PSALM 89:11).

Understanding who really holds the title to all we possess should change our thinking. Just as I am aware that RBC lets me use its equipment to help me do my work more efficiently, so also should we be aware that everything we have is given to us to serve the Lord.

Our time, talents, and possessions are all on loan from God so that we can do His work effectively. – J. David Branon

God’s grace sustains the gift of life,

Its labor and reward;

What we possess is not our own –

It all comes from the Lord. – Dennis J. De Haan

READ: PSALM 89:5-12

All we own is really on loan – from God.