It Was Never Mine: Living as God's Stewards

Sep 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When "My Barns" Blind Us to God’s Ownership

The rich man’s repeated claims of “my crops” and “my barns” reveal a dangerous illusion of control. His language exposes a heart that mistakes stewardship for ownership, hoarding abundance rather than honoring its true Source. This parable confronts our tendency to attach possessive pronouns to blessings – our careers, relationships, or achievements – while forgetting their temporary nature. True freedom comes when we hold loosely what God has entrusted to us, recognizing every “my” as a sacred loan. The story’s abrupt ending reminds us that final accountability comes not for how much we’ve stored, but for how faithfully we’ve surrendered. [53:20]

“The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’” (Luke 12:16-19, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you unconsciously claimed “my” over what God entrusted to you? How might releasing that possessive language change your relationship with your resources?

Day 2: The Interruption That Reveals Our Delusion

God’s jarring “You fool!” shatters the rich man’s self-congratulatory monologue. This divine interruption exposes humanity’s dangerous assumption that time belongs to us. The man planned decades of leisure while standing at death’s door. Our culture obsesses over five-year plans and retirement accounts, yet this story asks: What if tomorrow isn’t yours to manage? True stewardship begins when we stop acting as authors of our timeline and start living as faithful editors of God’s daily manuscript. [01:00:18]

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (Luke 12:20, NIV)

Reflection: What areas of your life operate on the assumption that you control the timeline? How would today change if you saw it as God’s gift rather than your possession?

Day 3: The Earth Is the Lord’s – Full Stop

Psalm 24’s declaration cuts through every human claim of ownership. From the coffee in our cups to the continents beneath our feet, nothing exists outside God’s dominion. This truth liberates us from both greed and scarcity mentality – what we “have” is simply our temporary assignment in heaven’s ecosystem. When we stop fighting to possess, we become free to participate in God’s distribution network, sharing resources as conduits rather than clinging to them as owners. [01:07:08]

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

Reflection: What everyday item do you struggle to see as God’s property? How might treating it as a divine loan change your use of it today?

Day 4: Stewardship Is Responsibility, Not Real Estate

The parable’s crisis emerges not from wealth itself, but from the distortion of stewardship into ownership. Jesus redirects our focus from accumulating assets to cultivating faithfulness. Like a tenant caring for a landlord’s property, our call is to maintain and multiply what’s been lent – not to redecorate the deed. This reframes success: not what we’ve acquired, but how we’ve honored the Owner through our management. [01:22:13]

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)

Reflection: What specific gift has God entrusted that you’ve treated as personal property? How could you exercise it today as a responsible steward?

Day 5: Rich Toward God in a Minefield of Me

Jesus’ closing warning about being “rich toward God” reframes value systems. The rich man’s failure wasn’t insufficient religion, but misdirected investment – pouring everything into the temporary “self” account. Being rich toward God means making daily deposits in heaven’s economy: time spent in prayer, resources shared generously, relationships nurtured eternally. It’s living as investors rather than hoarders, converting earthly assignments into heavenly interest. [56:33]

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:21, NIV)

Reflection: What one action today could shift your focus from storing up to pouring out? How does being “rich toward God” redefine success in your current season?

Sermon Summary

Stewardship is bigger than money. Stewardship is faithfully managing what has been entrusted, because a steward cares for something placed in their hands that ultimately belongs to somebody else. The call to be “trusted, faithful with what matters most” reaches into time, gifts, opportunities, relationships, influence, money, and life itself. Ownership has to come first, because nobody can rightly decide what to do with what they have until they understand whose it really is.

Jesus opens Luke 12 with a warning: “Watch out. Be on guard against all kinds of greed.” Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. The rich man’s land yields abundantly, and success itself is not the problem. The trouble begins when abundance turns into possessive language: my crops, my barns, my surplus grain, my plans, my years. More does not mean mine.

The possessive pronouns expose the man’s heart. Ownership makes a person believe they have the final say, do not need to ask anybody, and do not need to answer to anybody. Stewardship asks a different question: “What do You want me to do with what You have trusted me with?” Psalm 24 settles the matter: the earth is the Lord’s, the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. God gave what people have, taught what people know, and brought people where they are. Hard work and sacrifice do not turn a blessing into private property.

The rich man’s deeper mistake is not simply claiming the harvest. The rich man also claims tomorrow. He sees grain in the barn and assumes many years on the clock. God interrupts his conversation with himself: “You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you.” The man had enough for many years, but he did not own the years he thought he had.

The uncertainty of tomorrow makes faithfulness today matter all the more. Time, money, homes, churches, families, gifts, positions, and influence are not lesser because they are not owned. Entrusted things ought to be handled carefully precisely because they belong to God. Having does not make a person the owner. Having makes a person responsible.

The confession “it was never mine” breaks the grip of worry and the illusion of control. God remains the source of strength and the strength of life. Everything placed in human hands belongs back in the hands of the One who created it, saved by His blood, raises by His power, and deserves all glory.

Key Takeaways

1. More does not mean mine. Abundance can become dangerous when blessing is mistaken for ownership. The rich man’s language reveals that his heart had attached “my” to what God had produced. Stewardship begins when possession stops being a claim of control and becomes an assignment from God. [63:44]
2. Tomorrow is not private property. The rich man could count his grain, but he could not count his days. Plans become foolish when they treat the future as guaranteed rather than received. Today carries weight because tomorrow has never been placed under human ownership. [73:33]
3. Having makes people responsible. A car, a home, a gift, a job, or a position does not become less important because it belongs to God. Entrusted things deserve greater care, not careless handling. Responsibility grows from remembering whose hands first held what now rests in human hands. [81:30]
4. Release ownership back to God. Worry often comes from trying to carry what God created and continues to sustain. The confession “it was never mine” does not deny responsibility, but it does release false control. God is fully able to hold what human strength cannot carry.

## [84:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:47] - Stewardship Is Bigger Than Money
[49:40] - What Is a Steward?
[51:35] - Stewardship Begins With Ownership
[53:45] - Jesus Warns Against Greed
[54:24] - The Rich Fool’s Abundant Harvest
[60:59] - More Does Not Mean Mine
[63:44] - What Has God Trusted You With?
[68:53] - You Do Not Own What’s Next
[70:13] - This Very Night
[74:32] - Faithfulness With Today
[75:39] - Entrusted Things Matter More
[77:12] - It Was Never Mine
[81:30] - Having Brings Responsibility
[84:05] - Giving Ownership Back to God

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Luke 12:15–21
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
[00:54:10]

Psalm 24:1
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
[01:06:53]

James 4:14
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Observation questions

What words does Jesus use to describe the danger of greed, and what does He say life does not consist of in Luke 12:15? [00:54:10]
What does the rich man repeatedly call “my” in the parable, and what do those repeated words show about the way he views his harvest? [01:02:31]
What is the difference between what the rich man can see in his barns and what he cannot know about his life and future? [01:09:28]
According to Psalm 24:1, what belongs to the Lord besides the earth itself?

Interpretation questions

The rich man’s land produces abundantly, yet God calls him a fool. Why is the problem not his success or harvest itself, but the way he responds to it? [00:59:36]
How does believing “I own this” affect a person’s willingness to ask God what should be done with money, time, gifts, relationships, or influence? [01:03:07]
What does it mean for a believer to be “rich toward God” rather than simply storing up things for oneself?
James 4:14 says that life is like a mist. How should this truth shape a believer’s plans without making that person fearful or careless about the future? [01:14:57]

Application questions

What is one thing you are most tempted to call “mine”—your money, schedule, home, job, ability, family, position, or something else? How might your attitude change if you saw it as something God has trusted you to manage? [01:04:00]
Where have you allowed having something to become a sense of control over it? What would it look like this week to ask, “Lord, what do You want me to do with what You have trusted me with?” [01:03:44]
Is there an opportunity, relationship, gift, or responsibility in your hands right now that needs more faithful attention? What is one specific step you could take with it this week? [00:50:32]
Are there plans you have been treating as guaranteed—plans involving finances, work, family, health, or retirement? How can you make those plans with wisdom while still recognizing that tomorrow belongs to God? [01:13:18]
What worries are you carrying about your finances, bills, home, children, or future? How could the confession “it was never mine” help you release false control while still acting responsibly? [01:23:57]
What would it look like for you to use what God has placed in your hands today in a way that makes you rich toward God—through generosity, service, gratitude, or obedience? [01:15:13]

Sermon Clips

61s

#TrustHisHands

“Maybe you're here today and you've been worrying about your stuff. Yes, sir. Maybe you've been worrying about your finances, your house, your bills. If that's you today, I just wanna tell you it was never yours. It all belongs to him. And why are you trying to carry something that he created? Today's a real good day. To say I'm gonna give ownership back to the one who place it in my hands. It's too much for me, but it's just right for him. And and and what I'm gonna do today, I'm just gonna lift my hands and release it from my hands and put it in his hands because it belongs to him.”

54s

#BeASteward

“And here's the problem with that. Because when I think I own it, I think I get the final say over it. Mhmm. It's mine. Yeah. And I don't have to ask nobody about it. That's mine. And I don't have to answer to nobody about it. That's it. It's mine. And I can do whatever it is I want to do with it. It's mine, and you can't tell me what to do with it. That's mine. But if I'm a steward now the question is, what do you want me to do with what you have trusted me with? Amen. Amen. Yes. Yes. And here is the lesson, church.”

57s

#EntrustedNotOwned

“Thank you. That it isn't mine Yes. Thank doesn't make it matter any less. Yes. See, when we, you know, we're in LA. We're in the the home of police chasers. Yeah. Come on now. And you can tell Mhmm. When the person being pursued Mhmm. Doesn't own the car. Yeah. Well, how they drive it. Come on now. Mhmm. They're all over the place. Yeah. Hitting all kind of stuff. Yes. Because it is not fairs. It doesn't belong to them. They haven't been trusted with it. So they'll just drive any kind of way. But when it's been entrusted to you, when it's when it's yours, the fact that it isn't mine is why you ought to handle it more faithfully. And I don't know about you, church, but I'm not gonna let stuff he puts in my hands be greater in my life than the one whose hands I'm in. Amen.”

46s

#EmbraceResponsibility

“Having doesn't make me the owner. Yes. It just makes me responsible. Yes. You're fighting for power. And he's saying, I don't need you to embrace power. I've got all of that. Come on. I need you to embrace responsibility for what's been entrusted into your hand. And maybe that's the greatest mistake we can make with what God has entrusted into us. Is to forget Yeah. That's right. Who it belongs to. Amen. That's it. So this week,”

43s

#AllBelongsToHim

“Remember, it was never mine. I've just been trusted with it. You've gotta remember that today. It was never ours. And so as you go about, remember it all belongs to him. It all belongs to him. He's the source of our strength. the strength of our life. And our responsibility is just to lift it up to him in total praise to him for who he is. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And knowing that it's his.”

47s

#BeliefShapesActions

“But that really made me wonder. It made me want to think more deeply about this. What happened between the abundance we see in verse 16 and the foolishness God sees in verse 20. That's not that many verses to go from being blessed to being a fool. Come on now. Say that again. And I think we've gotta walk back through this story and listen carefully to how this man starts talking. Because before we can understand what he did with what he had, we've got to understand what he believed about what he had. That's it. Amen.”

45s

#EverythingIsYoursLord

“It was not myself. I didn't wake myself up this morning. Didn't get myself out of bed. I didn't drive myself over here. But it was all god. And I wish there was somebody here that would say that the stuff I have, it does not belong to me. My life, it does not belong to me, but I'm yours, Lord. Everything I have, everything that I am, everything I can be, try me now and see if I can be completely yours.”

58s

#YouDontOwnTomorrow

“You don't own what is next. He had evidence what was in his barns. Yes. But he had no evidence for how much time was on his clock. Come on now. Look at verse 20. He just said, I'm gonna build this newborn, and I'm gonna sit back. I'm gonna turn up. I'm gonna eat, drink, be married. Yeah. Go over to Hollywood Park a few times. My my my. Come on now. Keep playing me. Yes, Yes, And I'm a be good. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I'm good for many years.”

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