How do I handle my material resources?

Leviticus 25:23“The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.”

Psalm 89:11The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all.

Proverbs 3:9-10Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Stewardship begins by acknowledging that God owns everything. Since everything belongs to God, we should consult him before we use what he has given us.

Proverbs 11:24-25Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Luke 6:38“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”

2 Corinthians 9:6Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

We shouldn’t give in order to grow richer, but our resources will grow when we give more. Our resources may not be material or monetary, but more spiritual and relational. One of the great paradoxes of the Christian life is that the more generously we give, the more God blesses us in some way or another. One of the reasons this often happens is that the same qualities that make us responsible and trustworthy also make us generous. But this is the primary reason God blesses us: He entrusts more to us so that we can channel his blessing to others in this world.

Malachi 3:10“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

God honors faithfulness, including faithfulness in giving. The principles of faithfulness and generosity are not a scheme for us to manipulate God into giving us more things. They are traits we develop as we grow in our relationship with God.