The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
Psalms 24:1 NLT
Who owns what is a big deal to us. Intellectual property rights, patents, copyrights, deeds of trust, and titles are examples of identifying who created this and who owns it now. Entire professions are built around keeping issues of creative license and ownership sorted out.
King David, in Psalm 24 reminds us of a profound truth: Anything created and produced by us, is being done in God’s created space. He is the original creator and owner. It is all His. We belong to God. “For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.” Psalms 24:2
Reflection
By embracing the truth that everything belongs to God, we are able to think about being good stewards and caretakers of God’s creation and people.
Rainier Camp and Retreat Center is located in the foothills of Mount Rainier in the state of Washington. The camp is developed on National Forest Service Land. Running a Camp on property we do not own is different. Everything about the property requires permission from the people who oversee the land we occupy. It is not our land to do with as we please. It is land we steward on behalf of the owner. We are constantly thinking about who we are accountable to, and how we can best honor that relationship.
While this example has its limitations of making the point, it moves us in the right direction. Shifting away from an attitude and orientation of ownership to a life of stewardship puts us in a much better place to embrace the truth that “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” Psalms 24:1 NLT
Encouragement
We live and operate in a world that requires declaration of ownership. God calls us to live in a way that acknowledges and declares the original designer and owner of everything. We are stewards of something so much bigger than we are that is rooted in God and His will. We belong to God. We live for God. We acknowledge God as the rightful owner of everything we have and everything we are. There is freedom to be discovered in living this way. Lean into it.
Prayer
Dear Father God,
Thank You for reminding us that Your claim as original designer and owner stands true. Thank You for the blessing of belonging to You. Thank You for the freedom of embracing stewardship of everything as Yours, rather than ownership of everything mine. Living this way is pure wisdom. Today, I pick up a life of stewardship and set aside a life of ownership.
In Jesus name, Amen