Wait...You Own That Too??? 

Have you ever looked at somebody and completely misjudged what they had? Now, don’t get too spiritual too fast. We have all done it. Somebody pulls up in an older car, wearing regular clothes, no flashy watch, no designer anything, and we assume they are just getting by. Meanwhile, they might own three properties, have money in the bank, no debt, and be quietly living better than the person trying to impress everybody at the red light. That reminds me of a book I read called The Millionaire Next Door. One of the big ideas from that book is that wealth does not always look the way people think it looks. Some people who look wealthy may be stretched thin, and some people who look ordinary may actually own more than you would ever guess.

In other words, you never really know who owns what. Some of the biggest owners are not always the loudest people in the room. They are not always dressed the flashiest. They are not always making announcements. They do not always need everybody to know what they have.

That got me thinking about Psalm 24:1:

Psalm 24:1 (NIV) says, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”

Now that clears up ownership real quick. The earth belongs to the Lord. Everything in it belongs to Him. The world belongs to Him. And all who live in it belong to Him. That means the Heavenly Father is not just the owner of the church building, the Sunday morning service, or the things we call “spiritual.” He owns everything. The land. The sky. The oceans. The trees. The money. The business. The house. The job. The gift. The opportunity. The breath in our lungs. All of it belongs to Him. And when you really think about that, it almost makes you want to look around and say, “You own that too??? Yes. That too.

The thing we call ours. The thing we worked for. The thing we saved for. The thing we prayed for. The thing we are trying to protect. The thing we are afraid to lose. It still belongs to Him. And that changes how we look at life. Because if God owns everything, then we are not really owners in the ultimate sense. We are stewards. A steward manages what belongs to someone else. A steward is responsible for handling what has been entrusted to them with wisdom, faithfulness, and care. So the real question is not just, “What do I own?” The deeper question is, “How am I managing what God has trusted me with?”

That includes money, but it is bigger than money. It includes our time, our words, our family, our influence, our gifts, our bodies, our work, our decisions, our relationships, and even our opportunities. Everything we have is something the Heavenly Father has allowed us to carry, manage, or enjoy for a season. And when we understand that, it should humble us. It should make us grateful. It should also make us more careful. Because we cannot treat what belongs to God any kind of way. We cannot ask Him to bless our finances while refusing to be faithful with them. We cannot ask Him to grow our influence while using our words carelessly. We cannot ask Him for more opportunities while mishandling the ones already in our hands. We cannot ask Him to guide our lives while acting like the life belongs only to us.

Psalm 24:1 reminds us that ownership starts with God. The Heavenly Father is not trying to take credit for something that does not belong to Him. He is the Creator. He is the Sustainer. He is the Provider. He is the true Owner. And here is the beautiful part: even though He owns it all, He still chooses to entrust things to us. That is grace. He gives us life. He gives us breath. He gives us abilities. He gives us relationships. He gives us resources. He gives us chances to be faithful. Not so we can walk around puffed up like we made everything happen by ourselves, but so we can reflect Him in how we manage what He has placed in our hands.

So yes, you never really know who owns what by looking at people. But we do know this: everything belongs to the Lord. And if everything belongs to Him, then everything we have should be handled with Him in mind. The next time you look at your house, your car, your paycheck, your calendar, your family, your business, your gifts, or even the breath you just took, remember Psalm 24:1. It is the Lord’s. And if He trusted you with it, steward it well.

Next Step

Take a few minutes today and look at one area of your life that God has entrusted to you. It may be your time, your money, your family, your work, your words, or your gifts.Then pray, “Heavenly Father, remind me that everything belongs to You. Help me manage what You have placed in my hands with wisdom, gratitude, and faithfulness.” Because the real Owner is not hidden.

God bless you, God keep you. God loves you and I love you too!