The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it; Psalm 24:1 (NIV)
Jesus told a story (parable) of a prosperous and wealthy landowner (in Luke 12) to teach the importance of having the right attitude toward money and earthly possessions. The man had wisely planted, harvested, and invested for many years. His wealth increased beyond his wildest hopes. He prospered so much that he had to build new larger storehouses to contain what he had. It was at that point that he (unwisely) decided to quit, sit back, and party the rest of his life. It was also at that point that God said, “You’re a fool – because you won’t live to see tomorrow.”
There’s nothing wrong with wealth, working hard, or having stuff. The problem comes in our attitude toward what we have. For most of our lives we’ve heard the phrase “money is the root of all evil,” thinking it was biblical – it isn’t. The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 6:10 that “the love of money is a root of all evil.” In other words, if the money or stuff is the single objective, then you need to refocus.
If the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, then we really need to look at what we have as not belonging to us, but to God. It all belongs to Him. So, purposefully dedicate it all for the use of the real owner – God.