WEEK TWO: YOURS

When I got married, our first apartment was in an old house (in a less than desirable neighborhood downtown)… but the rent was low, and we could afford it. We didn’t really know the landlord except through someone who knew someone who knew someone, so the expectations were low and the amount of upkeep we were willing to do was also low. After a little while, we found another apartment in a different town that was still affordable but in a much more desirable location, and we personally knew the owner. Although it was still in an older house, because of the relationship with the owner and the nicer home, the level of care went up significantly. A couple of years later, we bought our first house and home ownership changed everything. It wasn’t that we mistreated a property, but the level of care changed as the respect and relationship with the owner changed.

We are all a part (tenants, if you will) of a Kingdom and are entrusted with the things of that Kingdom. We are given responsibility within the Kingdom. We are given certain talents and abilities, gifts and opportunities by the King; these are for us to use in service of the Kingdom, and all God asks for in return is that we love him and that we love each other. However, too often, just like the tenants in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21, we try to take illegal ownership of the Kingdom.

We can become prideful and overly confident in our own abilities. We can take credit for things only God can do because we want control. Then just like those tenants, we reject his Word and, instead of honoring him, we turn our back on the very relationship we need most. Because the depth of our relationship with God is directly reflected in how we handle the things of the Kingdom.

So, it really comes down to this question: Are we willing to recognize and acknowledge that everything we have (our lives, our influence, our opportunities, and our gifts) belongs to God to be used for and by God? Or will we resist and miss out on the amazing future God has planned for us?  How we handle what God has given us today will shape the future God has for us.  So first, acknowledge God as the owner of everything in your life. Manage what he has entrusted you with well, and most of all, live with the Kingdom in mind.