I Chronicles 29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
Who Owns It?
Would you rather be given a thousand dollars, or would you rather give a thousand dollars? The truth is, that no matter on which side of a thousand dollars you are on, there is joy in knowing Who owns everything. So many people own their own debt and their own wealth, and it is a burden to them because they own it. Which side are you on? Do you go through life thinking, “mine,” or do you go through life thinking, “thine”?
In I Chronicles 29, David gave abundantly and zealously toward the work on the temple. There is a connection here between joy and willingness. You are not necessarily joyful because you give, but because of how you give. It says, “Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.” They were following King David’s lead in giving abundantly and willingly, and the measure of their joy was a reflection of the measure of their willingness. Willingness and joy go together.
The key to this is found in verses 11-12, “Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee.” He was saying, “God, everything we are giving belongs to You anyway.”
Verse 13 says, “Now therefore, our God, we thank thee.” How crazy to human thinking that anyone would thank God that they could give to God. This is not insanity; this is joy unleashed by a very important piece of information: God owns everything! I have nothing to give that God didn’t give me first.
David says, “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.” It is liberating to know that I don’t have to own everything. God owns it. When people keep a ledger of everything that goes out, they are very much aware of every slight, every scar, every hour, and every penny. It is a miserable existence, because they feel as if they have to protect everything they own. We should certainly be good stewards of all we have, but we should also be joyful givers.
The Bible says “This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” When we realize that God owns the day, we rejoice in it. So, what will you do with the money God has given to you, and how will you steward the abilities God has entrusted to you? There is great joy in knowing Who owns everything. Today, are you living a life characterized by “mine” or do you look to God with a life characterized by “thine”? God gave it; it goes back to God. God gets the credit for it; we receive the joy!