5 Leadership LessonsSample

Ownership

If we believe that we own our organization or business, then we believe that we are entitled to do whatever we want with them.  However, if we believe that everything we have belongs to God, then we are not entitled to do whatever we want.  In fact, it would mean that we, as owners, are held responsible for all that God has given us, the business, the people, and its resources. 

When we give God our heart and invite him to Be our Lord and Savior, He becomes Lord of everything.  He gave everything to us through His Son.  If God gave it all for us, how can we give anything less? We must give our business or organization back to Him.  He owns it, we do not, we are His stewards.  

Let’s say I go to the CFO of my company, who is the chief check writer in my business, and I tell them “I want you to write a check to 'xyz ministry' for $25,000.” What if the reply is, “Are you crazy or have you lost your mind? I need to think about it.”

What if I go to them again and ask them to write the check AND give free office space to this ministry?  What would you think if they came back with the same reply and ultimately, a different suggestion?  They suggest that we pray about it, drastically reduce the amount and put off giving the office space. 

At what point would I have to let that CFO go from my organization?  When did they start believing that they owned that checking account? When exactly did the money become theirs? When did they shift from being a steward to being the owner?

When we turn over the ownership to God, we are trusting Him.  He is our Lord; we are His servants.  We are His managers.  We are His stewards.  He gives us instructions on what He wants with His business, organizations, people, and resources.  To do something different would be embezzling from God.  We should be honored to carry out His wishes and purposes.  

Ultimately, God owns it all. Our best response is to say “Yes, Lord.” and do it.