Psalm 24:1 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world and all who live in it.” This short verse presents us with a profound fact that seldom impacts our everyday lives - that being that all we are and all we possess does not belong to us, it belongs to the Lord. If you were to make up a balance sheet of all you own, the page would be blank because you own nothing. You are merely caretakers of someone else’s property and our task as caretakers is to manage that property according to the wishes of the Owner. When was the last time you talked to the Owner about what you were doing with His stuff? As a good and faithful steward, we want to use all that He has entrusted to us wisely and carefully for His purpose and for His glory. Think about it.

In Acts 20:35 Paul reminds us to, “remember the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Jesus is not denying that it is indeed a blessing to receive gifts. What He is saying is that it is even more of a blessing to give them than it is to receive them. In our selfish, fallen natures this seems unfathomable. Ask a small child if it is more fun to give gifts or receive them. Look at their amazed expression that you would even ask such a silly question. But, in giving we experience a double blessing – the blessing to the receiver and the blessing to the giver. Proverbs 11:25 confirms this very idea saying, “he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Today, do yourself a favor. Find someone who has a need and meet it. You will both be refreshed in your giving. Think about it.

Paul shares with us the illusive secret to contentment in Philippians 4:11-12, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” So, what’s Paul’s secret to contentment? If material possessions were the secret to contentment, Paul would not have been content when he was living with humble means. So our material circumstances and possessions are not the secret to contentment. Here is the secret. Contentment in life does not come from what you have or what you don’t have, it comes from Who has you! True contentment in life can only be found in a personal relationship with Christ. Think about it.

Titus says in 2:13-14, “Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” This short statement gives us a unique insight into one of the reasons for why Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us and to purify us. It says, so that we will be “zealous for good deeds.” Have you ever really considered that one of primary characteristics of redeemed and purified children of the King is to not just be casually or occasionally interested in doing good deeds, but to be ZEALOUS for, passionate about and driven by doing good deeds for others. This is the mark of a good and faithful steward of what we have been given to manage? Does zealous describe your attitude about doing good for others? Think about it.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes 5:13 warns us about the danger of material possessions. He says, “There is a grievous evil which I have seen…riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.” I know you think, “This verse is about the rich and I am not rich.” But rich is a relative term. Did you know that if your family is earning $50,000 a year, you are in the top 1% of all income earners in the entire world? That means 6.7 billion people on this planet think you ARE rich. So this verse does apply to you. Solomon tells us that if we hoard what we possess instead of generously sharing it, we will actually do harm to ourselves. Corrie ten Boom understood this and advised, “Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open.” So, be careful. Don’t hurt yourself with your stuff. Think about it.

No other verse better expresses how Christians should give than II Corinthians 9:7. It says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” First, this verse tells us that our decision about how much to give is to be decided by us, not someone else. Second, we see it is not good when we reluctantly give because we have been pressured or guilted into it. Third, God LOVES a cheerful giver. The Greek word used here for cheerful is where we get our English word “hilarious.” So, we can say that God loves a hilarious giver. If you want to get the most out of your giving, let God, not man tell you how much to give and then give it hilariously! This is when giving really becomes addictive and joyful. Think about it.

Moses offers sage advice about our time in Psalm 90:12. He says, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Of all that God has entrusted to us to manage, our time is one of our most precious possessions. What makes our time so valuable is that from the first day we were born, our time is running out. Unlike our bank or investment accounts, none of us knows the balance in our time account. We only know that every day that passes, it is shrinking. My grandmother had a plaque on her wall that said, “Only one life ‘twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Are you asking God to teach you to number your days? Will you be presenting to Him a heart of wisdom in how you are spending the time He entrusted to you? Think about it.

Proverbs 25:28 gives us an interesting picture of a man who has not learned to control himself and carefully manage what God has entrusted to him. Solomon says, “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” This out-of-control person has no “walls,” or guardrails in his life that keeps him from skidding of the road and into a ditch or worse yet, off a cliff. One of the primary characteristics of good and faithful stewards is they have learned to live a controlled life. In Galatians 5:23 Paul tells us one of the fruits of the spirit is “self-control.” They control their time, their bodies, their finances, their families, their tempers and their careers. They do on a daily basis what is needed to live a self-controlled life. How well are you doing controlling what God has entrusted to you? Think about it.

Jesus offers us a stern warning about the dangers of material possessions. In His parable of the soils He tells about the thorny soil where the seed spouted, but then died. He explains why in Mark 4:19, “…the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word…” Jesus tells us three extremely important facts about material things. First, they are deceitful. They lie and do not deliver what they promise. Second, our desire for things can become so great that it can exceed our desire for God – never a good thing. And third, material things have the power to choke the Word of God out of us. They are that deadly. As followers of Jesus, we must be ever mindful that material things are full of three dangerous Ds - deceitfulness, desires and death. Be careful. Don’t get caught in their trap. Think about it.

Jesus gives us a powerful giving lesson in Luke 21:1-4. It says, “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in MORE than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Jesus is totally redefining the meaning of generous. His new definition is, “It is not how much you give that makes you generous, it is how much you have left over AFTER you give that makes you generous.” The rich were giving what they wouldn’t need or miss. The widow would feel the impact of her giving by dinner that very night. Changes the way we think about being generous, doesn’t it? Think about it.

As good and faithful stewards of all the Lord has entrusted to us, we need to consider Romans 12:1. Paul writes, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Paul here is connecting how we care for, feed and use our physical bodies to our spiritual lives – to be an act of worship to Him. He adds in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” Let me ask you, are you glorifying God and worshipping Him with how you are caring for, feeding and using the physical body He has entrusted to you? Think about it.

II Corinthians 8:9 is an amazing verse. It says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Have you ever considered what Jesus gave up when He came to earth to save us? Talk about the ultimate lifestyle reduction! He abandoned a throne in Heaven for a cross on Calvary! Jesus became poor so we might become rich. This being true, there is one penetrating question that surfaces, “What does Jesus want us to do with the riches that we have gained from His voluntary poverty? Did He make us rich solely for our own personal enjoyment, comfort and pleasure? Or, did He make us rich so that we could joyfully pour out our freely acquired riches on those who were still poor both physically and spiritually? Think about it.

It is always troubling when we are reading about heathens in the Bible and the description sounds like us. Ephesians 4:19 may be one of those places. Paul says about unbelievers, “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” It is that last phrase that is troubling – “a continual lust for more.” In our materialistic society that is obsessed with things, could we also be guilty of having “a continual lust for more” – the latest technology, a newer car, more clothes, more money? You get my point. If we find ourselves, never quite content with what we have and always looking to have more, we may be on the slippery slope of materialism that will lead us to no good end. Hebrews 13:5 says, “be content with what you have.” Are you? Think about it.

Paul tells of the loss of one of his group in II Timothy 4:10. He says, “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me…” It wasn’t that Demas was unable to continue. It was that he was unwilling. He was more in love with the creation that he was the Creator and when faced with the choice between the two, his true love came out. God had given Demas an opportunity for eternal usefulness. But the lure and love of the world drew him away to a lesser life, a lesser purpose and lesser end. Have you ever abandoned or passed on Kingdom opportunities because other worldly activities held a higher priority? Being a good and faithful steward is much more about our heart than it is about our service. Demas for a while was busy doing God’s work, but his heart was still in the world. Think about it.

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Here, Jesus is telling us that our giving should be seen by others – letting the light of our kindness and generosity shine forth. He also tells us why…so that it will be seen by others – bringing “glory to our Father who is in heaven.” We never want to do our giving so we will be praised for it. We should do it so God will be praised for it. And to ensure that God is the only one who gets the praise, we must be vigilant to deflect any misdirected praise or glory towards us on to the one who is the real giver of all gifts. Give, so God will be praised. Think about it.

Proverbs 27:18 says, “He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit.” Using an agricultural image of his day, Solomon gives us the benefit of working – we get to eat the figs from the tree we tend to. But notice Solomon doesn’t say, “he who tends to the fig tree will eat ALL it fruit.” Any idea what would happen if you tried to eat ALL the figs on a fig tree? Let’s just say, you would have some extreme, digestive distress! Yet, for many, this is exactly how they try to live – each year eating their entire crop of figs making themselves financially “sick to their stomach.” Let me suggest, instead, you only consume some of your figs, plant some of them to grow future fig trees and then give the rest of them away to others who are hungry. You will be much healthier for it. Think about it.

We find a timeless, financial truth in Ecclesiastes 10:19 when Solomon says, “(The fool believes) money is the answer to everything.” There are two powerful lessons we can learn from this verse. Lesson one: Some people believe that more money is the answer to everything. Years ago, a survey asked people how much more income they thought they needed to make ends meet each month. The survey showed they needed an average of 3% more to get by. Let me ask, if all those surveyed actually got that 3% increase in their pay, would all their financial problems be resolved? I think not. They would just start spending 3% more on their lifestyle. Lesson two: Solomon calls those who fall into this futile “just a little bit more” kind of thinking a “fool.” So, how about you, do you think money is the answer to everything? Think about it.

Paul sets the contentment bar extremely low in I Timothy 6:7-8. He says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” I think all of us in America would find it extremely difficult to be content with nothing but food and clothing. Perhaps we could learn to be content with only one car or a bit smaller house or maybe only one TV. Maybe. I have visited many third-world countries and the Christians I have met in these countries are far more joy-filled, enthusiastic and contented than most American believers I know. And these folks literally have nothing but their daily food and the most basic protection from the elements. Their contentment puts me to shame. Let me ask you, would you be content with only food and clothing? Think about it.

Have you ever experienced what Proverb 27:12 says, “Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later?” I’ve been the “unthinking person” on more than one occasion in my life - crashing headlong into a brick wall, nose bleeding, forehead scrapped and asking, “Where did that wall come from?” Can you relate? Conversely, a sensible person sees the wall ahead and avoids it. The primary difference between an unthinking person and a sensible person is wisdom. One person has it, sees trouble and avoids it. The other one doesn’t, crashes, and regrets it later. So, how do you get the needed wisdom to avoid life’s mistakes and regrets? James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously….” Wisdom is yours for the asking, if you want it. Think about it.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Here are two ways to live, as a wise or an unwise man. The wise man makes the most of his time, the unwise man wastes his time. If we want to be wise in how we live, we need to understand two realities. First: “the days are evil.” The world gladly parades before us one temptation after another to entice us to waste our time on meaningless things. Second: God knows how to make the most of our lives. The key to maximum life outcomes is not found not in pursuing what WE want for our lives, it is found in pursuing what HE wants for our lives. Think about it.

God states in Job 41:11, “Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” That just about covers anything we might ever get our hands on in this life, right? I have asked thousands of Christians the question, “Do you believe that God owns everything?” The answer is always an unquestionable, “Yes.” Intellectually, we get it. God owns everything. However, there is a massive disconnect between what we intellectually acknowledge and how we practically live. We will openly admit that God owns everything, yet in our daily lives we live like WE are the owners. We choose our house, our cars, our clothes; where we will invest, how we will spend our time, etc. like we are the owners of it all – never even thinking to ask the real Owner if this is what He wants us to do with what He has entrusted to us. Are you living this contradiction? Think about it.

Isaiah asks in 55:2, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?” Even though this verse was written 900 years before Christ, it could easily be a question your pastor might ask in this week’s sermon. It sounds almost un-American to dare ask such an anti-materialistic question. How is it that we have become so consumed with buying more and more things that neither feed nor ultimately satisfy us? Is it because we have believed the lie that things make us happy and so more things will certainly make us happier? If this is true, why did John D. Rockefeller admit, “I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness.” Henry Ford confessed after becoming a multi-millionaire, “I was happier doing a mechanic’s job.” Isaiah was right to ask why do we buy what will not satisfy. Think about it.

Proverbs 21:17 says, “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.” Solomon offers a telling observation – people focused on pleasure and consumption will be poor because they spend everything they have on things they want for today. They focus on immediate gratification. And in many cases, they spend all they have and put the rest on credit cards to get what they want, leaving themselves continually dangling on the precipice of financial disaster. Contrary to the practice of our Federal Government, you cannot barrow and spend your way into financial prosperity. You save and invest your way into financial prosperity – living on less than you make allowing you to being to accumulate some financial reserves and freedom. Until you come to love financial freedom more than you love pleasure, you will never move beyond a hand to mouth existence. Think about it.

Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” In this last statement, Jesus says it is impossible to disconnect our heart’s affections from our material possessions because wherever our heart is, our possessions will follow and wherever our possessions are our heart will follow. In other words, our heart and our possessions will always abide together. That is why we must place our financial and material world under the management of Christ. Otherwise our material, earthly possessions may entice our hearts to abandon Him for them. That is why Jesus goes on to say, you cannot have two God’s on one throne. Think about it.

Jesus said in Luke 12:15, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” Jesus is giving us a profoundly important truth in this one short verse. He tells us that greed is a common characteristic of those who rate the quality of their lives by how much they accumulate. They believe the more they accumulate, the higher the quality of their lives. Giving, they believe, will not increase the quality of their lives, it would only reduce it and so they greedily cling to their possessions believing by keeping them they will enjoy the best life. What folly. Jesus nails the rich farmer just a few verses later when he calls him a “fool.” And then concludes, “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Think about it.

Solomon warns us in Ecclesiastes 5:10. He states, “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income.” Beware, if you drink from the materialistic fountain of abundance is like drinking salt water because the more you drink from it, the thirstier you become. All those who drink from this fountain will become infected with the terminal heart-disease of affluenza. Like Malaria, once you contract this debilitating heart-attacking disease, you will never be able to fully rid yourself of its symptoms no matter what you do. The following are a few of the more common symptoms of affluenza. Insatiable appetite for more things of the world: Inability to loosen your grip on your things making giving very difficult to do: Lack of clear focus on spiritual matters: Frequent aching to spend all that you have. May I ask? Have you contracted affluenza? Think about it.