PART ONE What's True of "My Money" At the center of generosity is a shift in identity. We don’t own what we have; we manage it. Stewardship is the recognition that everything we possess belongs to God, and we’ve been entrusted with it for a season. Scripture says, “It is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). Jesus hinted at this in the Good Samaritan story through a quiet but powerful character: the innkeeper. Like we read earlier, he’s given money that isn’t his to care for someone he didn’t rescue, according to the wishes of someone who will return. His role isn’t glamorous—but it’s essential. And it’s our role too. Everything we have—time, talent, relationships, opportunity, and resources—has been placed in our hands with intention. Not to hoard. Not to fearfully protect. But to faithfully manage. Stewardship carries three sobering and freeing realities. Here’s what is true of “my money”: Everything I have was given to me. Life itself is a gift. Salvation is a gift. Even the ability to earn, think, create, and work is God-given. We are not self-made, everything you have has been given by God. Everything I have carries expectation. God gives on purpose. What He entrusts to us is meant to move toward what’s on His heart. Scripture says we are blessed to be a blessing—not reservoirs, but rivers. Everything I have will be examined. One day, we will stand before God, not to be shamed, but to give an account. Did we love what the Beloved loves? Did our lives reflect His priorities? Did we manage well what passed briefly through our hands? When we steward well, generosity stops feeling like loss and starts feeling like worship. Giving doesn’t empty us, it aligns us. It positions us to participate in what God is doing beyond us and after us. Stewardship is trusting the Good Shepherd with what already belongs to Him. It’s believing that obedience leads somewhere good. And here’s the promise we can hold onto as we live this way: