Everything is His
Daniel Im
Lead Pastor

1. God owns everything
· The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord; for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. (Psalm 24:1-2 CSB)
· “The silver and gold belong to me”—this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. (Haggai 2:8 CSB)
· Then the people rejoiced because of their leaders’ willingness to give, for they had given to the Lord wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced greatly. (1 Chronicles 29:9 CSB)
· Then David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said, May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? For everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your own hand. (1 Chronicles 29:10-14 CSB)
· OURstory vs HIStory
o Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these forty years…When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. He led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water. He brought water out of the flint rock for you. He fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had not known, in order to humble and test you, so that in the end he might cause you to prosper. (Deuteronomy 8:2-4; 12-16 CSB)

2. I own nothing
· You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm his covenant he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:17-18 CSB)
· “When we acknowledge God's ownership, every spending decision becomes a spiritual decision. No longer do we ask, God what do you want me to do with MY money? It becomes, what do you want me to do with YOUR money?” - Ashley Wooldridge
· Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah (Psalm 24:3-6 CSB)

Prayer of Confession:
Dear Father, everything is yours. Everything we have is from you and for you. You have given us everything. Today I confess that I haven’t always seen things this way. Forgive me for loving the riches of this world, more than the riches of your presence. Forgive me for spending as if it’s all mine. Help me to learn how to live, not as an owner, but as a steward of all my resources. Help me to resist the delusion of riches, and instead grow in gratitude and generosity, for your glory and for the awakening of Greater Edmonton. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.