Show Me Your HandsSample

THE WRONG OWNER

Another reason why we often hold on too tightly is that we claim ownership of something that was never supposed to be ours. After jumping through many hoops to get hold of our misplaced desire, we are simply not willing to let go.

In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, they overestimated their authority over the gifts that the Lord provided for them. Even though their property was theirs “to sell or not sell as they wished” (Acts 5:4, NLT), everything ultimately belongs to the Lord. And when we try to argue otherwise, He is willing to take drastic measures.

In the same way, King Solomon understood the significance of rightful ownership. In 1 Kings 3, when two women fought over a baby who died on their watch, King Solomon knew that the wrongful owner would hang on at all costs. “But the other woman said, ‘All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!’” (v. 26, NLT). That is extreme!

When we treat our gifts, offerings, or talents like ours instead of recognizing God’s rightful ownership, we start clinging to it in all kinds of unhealthy ways. We don’t care about the best interests of our children as long as our own ideals are achieved. We exclude willing helpers from our ministries for fear that they would steal our spotlight.

Do you think that your problem with letting go may be rooted in a misperception of your ownership of it? How would you act differently if you realized that it wasn’t yours to begin with?

Let us remind ourselves that we are mere stewards of everything God bestows upon us. Let us hold our gifts loosely for the rightful Owner to access them any time He pleases. “‘Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God’” (Deuteronomy 10:14, NLT).