EP 36 - God Owns It All

Equipped to Lead Podcast: Payday hits, the bills get paid, a little gets saved, and the rest starts carrying our plans. We call it our money because we earned it, but Psalm 24 says, the earth and everything in it belong to the Lord. Today we'll see why biblical stewardship is not about feeling guilty for having money. It is about learning to manage God's resources with gratitude, wisdom, and open hands. Welcome to the Equip to Lead Podcast. I'm Corey Couture, and this podcast exists to help men lead with strength, serve with humility, and love like Christ. Before we get into today's episode, I want to encourage you to subscribe and give this episode a like so more men can find it. Over the next coming ⁓ episodes, we're going to be talking ⁓ about finances and stewardship. And today's episode is titled God Owns It All, and we'll be answering the main question of Is my money really mine? That question can sound theoretical until it reaches the checking account, the mortgage, the truck payment, the overtime shift, the giving decision, or the conversation we keep avoiding with our wife. By the end of this episode, we will understand the difference between ownership and stewardship, recognize where money has become a source of control or trust, and learn one simple practice for making financial decisions under God's authority. Our primary scripture is Psalm 241. It gives us the foundation before we talk about budgets, generosity, debt, work, or planning. Psalm 24.1 says, the earth is the Lord's and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it. David says the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. That is a total claim. God does not own one category called spiritual life while we own everything practical. He is creator, sustainer, and king of over it all. The land belongs to him, the raw materials belong to him, the body that wakes up for work belongs to him, the mind that solves a problem belongs to him, the hours, the opportunities, relationships, and resources we handle all exist because he gave them. Hagai two verse eight says the silver and gold belong to the Lord. 1 Chronicles 29 says riches and honor are the Come from him. David looks at the gifts gathered for the temple and admits that everything came from God's hand. The people were only giving back what already belonged to him. That does not erase ordinary ownership. Scripture recognizes homes, wages, property, agreements, inheritance, theft, debt, and responsibility. Our names may rightly appear on the title or account, but under every human arrangement sits a deeper reality. We are not ultimate owners. We are accountable managers under God. A steward receives something valuable, has real authority to handle it, and must answer to the owner for how it was used. That means stewardship is not passive. It is responsible action under authority. Here is the key line that will guide us today. Ownership asks what I can do with my money. Stewardship asks what honors God with his money. That shift does not make every decision easy, it does make the first question clear. The first place this truth confronts us is pride in earning. A man may work long hours, learn a trade, take risk, build a business, or carry pressure that most people never see. Scripture does not insult that effort. Work is part of God's design and diligence is good. But Deuteronomy 8 gives Israel a warning of the For the moment when provision becomes comfortable, God says, do not tell ourselves that our power and strength produce this wealth. We must remember the Lord because He gives the ability to produce wealth. Think about how many gifts sit underneath one paycheck. Health enough to work, a mind that can learn, someone who taught us, a road we did not build, customers we cannot control, a market we did not create. Another morning we did not guarantee. Our effort is real and God's provision is deeper. That protects us from two errors. One is pride. I built this by myself so nobody can tell me what to do with it. The other is passivity. If God provides, my choices and work do not matter. Biblical stewardship rejects both. We work hard because the assignment matters, and we stay humble because the owner supplied every part of it. This matters when income rises. A promotion can quietly enlarge our lifestyle faster than it enlarges our gratitude or our generosity. We may start treating a higher number as proof that we are wiser, more favored, or more important than somebody else. It also matters when income drops. A layoff, slow season, disability, or business loss can make a man feel like his identity disappeared with his earning power. Our value before God is not the number on the deposit. We are made in His image, and for those in Christ, our standing rests on Jesus, not our financial production. So whether income rises or falls, a steward asks the same question: what faithfulness looks like with what God has placed in our hands today? Next, we need to talk about trust. Because money is never only math. Jesus says in Matthew 6 that where our treasure is, our heart will be there too. He also says we cannot serve both God and money. Money is a useful servant. It can buy groceries, keep the lights on, fund ministry, create margin, meet a need, and prepare for a future responsibility. But it is a cruel master. When money becomes our master, it starts promising what it cannot deliver. It promises control over tomorrow, insulation from pain, proof that we matter, and freedom from needing anyone. We can see that at an ordinary kitchen table. A bill arrives and the tension in our chest is not only about the amount, it may be exposing the belief that if we cannot control the numbers, we are not safe. Or we open an app and see an account growing. The number gives us relief, then the relief becomes dependence. We check again because the balance has started doing work in our heart that belongs to God. Planning and saving are not wrong. Proverbs commends wisdom and preparation. The question is whether the plan is a tool of faithfulness or a substitute savior. Here is a diagnostic question. If God redirected part of what we planned, would we respond like a steward receiving instructions or an owner being robbed? That question can expose our grip. So can our reaction when a spouse asks about a purchase, a child needs help, the church names a need, or generosity interrupts a goal. We do not prove faith by being careless. We do bring every plan under God's authority. We pray, we seek wisdom, we tell the truth, and we leave room for obedience. Open hands can save, open hands can spend, open hands can give, and open hands. simply refuse to make money the place where our soul finally rests. Stewardship becomes especially practical in marriage and family life. Money can expose fear, power, secrecy, and different histories. One spouse may feel secure when money is saved. Another may associate generosity with love. One grew up with scarcity, another rarely heard adults discuss a budget at all. If a husband thinks I earned it so I decide, He has moved from stewardship into control. A larger paycheck does not give a man ownership of his wife, unlimited authority over family resources, or permission to hide decisions. Biblical leadership uses strength to serve. It invites truth, listens carefully, and accepts responsibility without treating another person like an employee. A married couple can say our money because they share a household and a covenant. Underneath that, Both can say God's money because both answer to him. That perspective changes the budget conversation. The goal is not for one person to win, the goal is to discern together how to provide, give, save, pay obligations, enjoy God's gifts, and respond faithfully to the season that they are in. Sometimes the faithful step is small and unglamorous. Disclose the account, admit the debt, return the purchase. Set a spending amount both people can discuss before crossing. Schedule a weekly 20 minute conversation before anxiety becomes an argument. Providing for our families matters. First Timothy speaks strongly about caring for those in our household. But provision is larger than chasing the highest possible income. A man can increase the account while starving his home of presence, gentleness, and spiritual leadership. Work that continually consumes worship, marriage, Health and integrity has stopped behaving like a gift and started demanding service like an idol. We need wisdom here, not a formula. Seasons of overtime, crisis, or sacrifice can be faithful. The question is whether our family decisions remain honest, prayerful, and submitted to God rather than driven by image, fear, or appetite. Sometimes stewardship teaching gets reduced to one word, give. Generosity is essential, but stewardship is wider. A faithful steward earns honestly. He pays what he owes. He plans instead of making every decision under pressure. He cares for people entrusted to him. He enjoys God's gifts with gratitude. He gives freely. He stays ready to change course when God's word corrects him. Luke 16 says, faithfulness and little matters. The point is not that small accounts are unimportant. Small choices reveal character. The subscription we forgot, the cash purchase we hide, the extra fee caused by delay, the generous impulse we keep postponing, the small promise we made and did not keep. Those choices train our heart long before a large opportunity arrives. Let me be practical. A budget is not a spiritual scorecard. It is a plan that helps us tell our money where to serve before our appetite decides for us. An emergency fund is not proof that nothing bad will happen. It can be a wise way to prepare for responsibilities we know life may bring. Enjoying a meal, a trip, a hobby, or a useful purchase is not automatically selfish. 1 Timothy says God richly provides things for us to enjoy. Gratitude receives the gift without worshiping it. Generosity is not paying God back or purchasing blessing. We cannot put the owner in our debt. We give because he has been generous, because people bear his image, and because his kingdom matters more than our accumulation. That may include regular giving through the local church, quiet help for someone in need, hospitality, supporting gospel work, or using skill and time when money is limited. The amount matters less than the heart and the faithfulness behind it. Jesus notices sacrificial faithfulness. But Scripture never gives us permission to manipulate people, neglect basic responsibilities, or promise a financial return God did not promise. Wise stewardship has structure and warmth. It plans carefully without closing its eyes to people. We need a clear guardrail here. Faithfulness is not measured by wealth. A man with a large income may be faithful, fearful, generous, greedy, wise, or deeply confused. A man with a small income may be any of those things too. The number alone does not tell us the state of his heart. The Bible does not teach that faithful stewardship guarantees financial success. We should reject any message that turns giving, budgeting, or positive thinking into a formula for getting rich. We should also reject financial shame. Debt may involve foolish choices, but it can also involve medical crisis, job loss, or Predatory terms, family emergencies, or a lack of knowledge. Poverty is not proof of laziness. Wealth is not proof of godliness. Truth and compassion belong together. If our choices were dishonest or reckless, grace does not ask us to pretend. We confess, accept consequences, make a plan, and seek help. If the situation is complicated, qualified help is wise. A pastor can give spiritual care. A reputable financial counselor or planner can help with numbers, and an attorney may be needed for legal questions. Marriage counseling may help when secrecy or control has damaged trust. And when abuse, coercive control, threats, or withheld access to basic needs are present, the problem is bigger than a budget disagreement. Pursue safety and qualified local support. Stewardship is not about performing success in front of other men. It is about faithfulness before God. Some seasons give us five talents to manage, some feel like one. Jesus' parables direct our attention to faithful use, not comparison with the next servant. The question is not do I have as much as him? The question is Am I faithful with what the Lord has entrusted to me? Let me turn this into one practical practice for the week. I call it the open hand review. Choose one recent or upcoming financial decision. Do not start with your entire financial life. Pick one purchase, savings goal, debt payment, work decision, or giving opportunity. Put the real numbers in front of you. Secrecy grows in vagueness. A steward is willing to look clearly at what is there. Then ask four questions. First, does this honor the owner? Is it consistent with God's word? Honest with commitments? And the responsibilities he has given us? Second, ask, what is driving me? Is it gratitude, wisdom, and service? Or fear, image, greed, secrecy, comfort, and control? Third, ask, who should be part of this decision? A wife, a business partner, a trusted brother, a pastor, or qualified professional may see what we are missing. Fourth, ask, what is one faithful next step? Make it concrete and small enough to do this week. Maybe we cancel an impulse purchase. Maybe we finally open the bill and call the provider. Maybe we set an automatic payment and begin a small emergency fund. Disclose a hidden account, or include generosity in the plan instead of waiting for leftovers. We can write one sentence at the top of the page. God owns this and I want to manage it faithfully. This review will not guarantee wealth or remove every hard decision. It is not a formula for earning God's favor. It is a way to bring one ordinary choice into the light of Psalm twenty four one. Ownership asks what I can do with my money. Stewardship asks what honors God with his money. If we are honest, none of us has managed God's gifts perfectly. We have been proud of what we earned, afraid of what we lacked, secretive about what we spent, and Slow to give, careless with commitments, or convinced that one more number would finally make us secure. Jesus did not come for men who already had every account clean. He came for sinners. At the cross, Christ gave himself to pay the debt of sin we could never pay. He rose from the grave, and everyone who trusts him is forgiven, received, and given a new life. Our hope is not that we will become perfect managers and earn the owner's approval. Our hope is that the Son has made us his own by grace. That grace makes repentance possible. We can bring hidden decisions into the light because our identity does not depend on protecting an image. We can ask forgiveness, we can make restitution where appropriate. We can receive wise help without believing need makes us less of a man. Grace also makes generosity possible. Jesus is not a technique for getting more money. He is the treasure. When our deepest security is in him, possessions can return to their proper place as gifts to receive, tools to manage, and resources to use in love. The God who owns it all is not an anxious landlord waiting to catch us in a mistake. He is the Father who gave his Son, gives wisdom when we ask, and works in us by his spirit. So we move forward without shame and without pretending. We open our hands because Christ has already opened the way back to God. Guys, is your money really yours? In the ordinary human sense, you may hold the account and carry the responsibility, but Psalm 24 gives the deeper answer. It belongs to the Lord. That truth is humbling because we do not get the final word. It is also freeing because our identity and security do not have to rest on what we can earn, hold, or control. Control. Choose one decision this week. Put the real numbers in front of you. Ask whether it honors the owner. Name what is driving you. Invite the right person into the conversation. Then take one faithful step. If you need to confess, confess. If you need to plan, plan. If you need to give, then give. If you need qualified help, make that phone call. Ownership asks what I can do with my money. Stewardship asks, what honors God with his money? Let's become men who work hard, provide faithfully, plan wisely, give generously, enjoy gratefully, and keep every resource under the authority of Christ. Lead with strength, serve with humility, love like Christ, be strong and lead well. Let's pray. Father, everything belongs to you. Forgive us for pride, fear, and Secrecy, greed, and trusting money more than we trust you. Thank you for giving Jesus to pay the debt of our sin. Give us wisdom for what you have placed in our hands. Help us work, plan, provide, enjoy, and give with gratitude and open hands. Show us one faithful change we can make this week. In Jesus' name, Amen.