Stewardship vs Ownership

This morning I’d like to talk about a topic that is very near to my heart:  Stewardship vs ownership.
 
First let’s talk about ownership. Where does the concept of ownership come from? How do we view ownership? What do the scriptures say about ownership?
 
Ownership is a very strange concept. The idea that we own something – this is mine, this is mine, that’s mine - is something purely concocted. It doesn’t existing outside the imaginations of our minds.  However, we give credence to concept of ownership simply because we all agree on an arbitrary set of rules that define the bounds of our lands, our bank accounts, and our continually accumulating pile of stuff. 
 
Let’s talk about real estate for example. Nothing produces a stronger sense of ownership than to able to say, this is my property. Well, not really. The deed to your house is a contrived document that exists only because a few hundred years ago we managed to displace the indigenous population, and divvy up the proceeds. The truth is that the indigenous tribes had a much better relationship to the land than we do. We conjured up the term, “Manifest Destiny”, to justify the wholesale grabbing of everything in sight as it suits us. This of course was followed by the biggest abomination of them all, the idea one person can claim another as their personal property.  Not our finest hour as a people, nor as a nation.
 
Let’s talk about stuff.  Do we own our stuff?  Our stuff comes from natural resources.  Trees, petroleum products, minerals, etc. We grant ourselves the right to extract natural resources simply because we collectively agree to pursue what is in our mutual interests. We harvest, drill, pollute, dig up, chop down, consume, all based on this fabricated concept of ownership.
 
One of the problems with wanting to own things, is that we want to own more things. Proverbs 27:20 says the eyes of man are never satisfied.
 
The recent increase in inflation gives testament to our insatiable desire as a society to accumulate more stuff. Especially during the pandemic, the temptation to accumulate has increased. As a contractor, I’ve been very busy.  Who here has too much stuff?  We all have too much stuff.  Perhaps we should unburden ourselves and give much of it away.
 
Let’s look at what the scriptures say about ownership. Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, and all they that dwell therein.” The Psalmist presents an entirely different perspective on ownership:  Our creator owns everything.  We do not own anything.  It all belongs to the Lord. It’s not your money, it’s not your house, it’s not your car, it’s not your stuff. It all belongs to the Lord. We are simply stewards of what is in our possession. As far as land ownership goes, in reality, we’re just a bunch of squatters!
 
Now let’s talk about stewardship. What does stewardship mean? A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. God is the owner, we are the stewards, over things that are temporarily in our care; until we pass on that responsibility to someone else. This is an entirely different perspective than ownership.
 
I Corinthians 4:2 says “…it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” This is the fundamental requirement for stewardship, that we are faithful. That we utilize what we have in our possession for a purpose greater than ourselves. 
 
Rebecca read Acts 4 this morning, which reveals how the believers in first century church had a wonderful perspective on managing their earthly possessions. Verse 32 says, “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”
 
They made a distinction between possession and ownership. We see from the verses following that their recognition that they did not own anything resulted in them sharing with those who had need. They relinquished ownership, and instead demonstrated a strong understanding of the concept of stewardship.
 
In the Gospels, Jesus talk a lot about stewardship. He never mentions ownership. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the story of the unjust steward, who wasted his master’s goods, and had to account for his stewardship. Jesus then summarizes the parable by saying “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in that which is much.” In other words, the proper handling of money, things in our possession, those things that in actuality are the least important, is a fundamental requirement to having greater responsibility of things in the spiritual realm.
 
During the last few years, while we have been experiencing this challenging pandemic, I’ve thought about proper stewardship of my resources.  The idea that I do not own anything has encouraged me to increase how much I help others. 
 
As we all know, the rising cost of real estate is a real problem for first time home buyers. During the last three years, four of the key men in my company, the guys who help me run the projects and keep the company running smoothly, decided to buy homes for their families. However, they did not have enough money for the downpayment. Nadja and I decided to give them each a sizable financial gift. A couple of weeks ago, the last of these four men just closed on his house. Of all of the investments Nadja and I have made during the last twenty years, this was by far the most rewarding, helping these four families to acquire and be stewards of the homes they live in.
 
I’d like to talk about net worth. What an absurd term! The idea that our worth as a person, our value as an individual, is determined by our financial assets, is preposterous. I challenge you to redefine your calculation of your net worth not by how much you accumulate, but rather by how much you give away.
 
In Luke 12, Jesus talks about faithful and wise stewards. In verse 48, He says, “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much shall be required.”
 
We read Matthew 19, which tells the powerful story of a man who wanted to follow Jesus.  Jesus instructed him to sell his possessions, and give to the poor.  Yet the man went away grieved, because he was very rich.  He did not understand the concept of stewardship.  He was stuck in a mode that was self-destructive.  He deceived himself into thinking that he owned his possessions.  In truth, his possessions owned him.
 
I find these verses very compelling. Where does this ungodly urge to accumulate come from? If our goal is to accumulate, we will most assuredly be disappointed in our expectations. I Timothy 6:7 says we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will carry nothing out. Let us seek to be content with what we have.
 
The more we focus on ownership, the more complicated our lives become. We become focused on ourselves, we become concerned about not having enough, or losing what we have. 
 
Stewardship on the other hand, enables us to fulfill our greatest purpose in life, which is to help others. Our lives are more in balance, and more fulfilling. The concept of stewardship is far more powerful than the concept of ownership.
 
Let’s relinquish ownership, and embrace the concept of stewardship. To us much has been given, and much is required.
 
--Robert Young, July 24, 2022