The
critical issue of ownership undergirds our theology of giving and stewardship.
To whom do the material goods and wealth we enjoy ultimately belong? I'm not
talking about the legal right of ownership, but rather the faith-perspective --
stewardship -- that's rooted in thousands of years of Judeo-Christian theology
and practice.
Fundamentally,
we either consider the material things in our life -- our money, house,
property -- as owned by God and belonging to God, and we manage them for God's
purposes, or we view them as owned by us. If they are owned by God, then our
tithes and offerings represent our returning to God what belongs to God
already. What we keep also belongs to God, and we feel obligated to spend it
wisely and not frivolously, and to invest it in ways that do not dishonor God's
purposes. We try not to waste money or to live more lavishly than we should. We
spend responsibly, allowing our relationship with God to form our minds. We
manage God's resources as faithfully as we can.
-- Robert Schnase in Five
Practices of Fruitful Living
#3530
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