Life on earth is a Trust.

This is the second metaphor of life we find in the Bible. Our time, energy, intelligence, opportunities, relationships, and resources are all gifts that God has entrusted to our care and management. We are stewards, or managers, of whatever God gives us. This concept of stewardship begins with the recognition that God is the owner of everything and everyone on earth. The Bible says, “The world and all that is in it belong to the Lord; the earth and all who live on it are his.”
We never really own anything during our brief stay on earth. God just loans it to us while we’re here. It was God’s property before you arrived, and God will loan it to someone else after you die. You just get to enjoy it for a while. When God created Adam and Eve, he entrusted the care of his creation to them and appointed them trustees of his property. The Bible says, “God blessed them, and said, ‘Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge.’”
The first job God gave humans was to manage and take care of his “stuff” on earth. This role has never been rescinded. It is a part of our purpose today. Everything we enjoy is to be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands. The Bible says, “What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if all you have is from God, why boast as though you have accomplished something on your own?”
Years ago, a man let my brothers and me use their beautiful home in Delta for a rent, and we enjoyed it immensely. We were told, “Use it just like it’s yours,” so we did! We ate the food in the refrigerator, used the bath and even jumped on the beds in fun! But we knew all along that it wasn’t really ours, so we took special care of everything. We enjoyed the benefits of using the home without owning it.
Our human nature says, “If I don’t own it, I don’t have to take care of it.” But God expects us to live by a higher standard: “Because God owns it, I must take the best care of it that I possibly can.” The Bible says, “Those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust.” Jesus often referred to life as a trust and told many stories to illustrate our responsibility toward God. In the story of the talents, a businessman entrusts his wealth to the care of his servants while he’s away. When he returns, he evaluates each servant’s responsibility and rewards him or her accordingly. The owner says, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.” At the end of your life on earth you will be evaluated and then rewarded according to how well you handled what God entrusted to you. That means everything you do, even simple daily chores, has eternal implications. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity. First, you’ll receive God’s affirmation: He’ll say, “Good job! Well done!” Next, you will receive a promotion and be given greater responsibility in eternity: “I will put you in charge of many things.” Then you will be honored with a celebration: “Come and share your Master’s happiness.”
Most people fail to realize that money is both a test and a trust from God. God uses finances to teach us to trust him, and for many people, money is the greatest test of all. God watches how we use money to test how trustworthy we are. Jesus said, “If you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, which will trust you with the true riches of heaven?”
This is a very important spiritual truth that most people are completely unaware of. God says there is a direct relationship between how I use my money and the quality of my spiritual life! How I manage my money (“worldly wealth”) determines how much God can trust me with spiritual blessings (“true riches”). Let me ask you: Is the way you manage your money preventing God from doing more in your life? Can God trust you with spiritual riches? Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” 58 Life is a test and a trust, and the more God gives you, the more responsible he expects you to be.
Point to Ponder: Life is a test and a trust.
CONSIDER THIS QUESTIONS
What has been your life metaphor up to this point?
How have you described life?
Can you think of a past experience where you can now see that God was testing you?
If you were to start living the truth that everything you “own” is really on loan from God, how would that change the way you feel about your possessions?