An interesting question to ponder is “Where did all the wealth of the world come from?” If you ask people, they are likely to tell you “I made this money, I should be able to do with it whatever I want.” The truth is:  God is the creator and owner of all the wealth of the world.

Consider this:

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Here are a few places where God explains that He is the owner of the world’s wealth:

Haggai 2:8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.

Psalm 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.

Leviticus 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.

So, we have read that God created everything, and He retains ownership of the gold and silver, all the animals and all the land.

When the great King David dedicated much of his wealth to the construction of the temple, he was praying with the people who also came to dedicate some of their wealth to the project. The following is part of David’s prayer:

1 Chronicles 29:14-17 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. ¹⁵ We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. ¹⁶ Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. ¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.

David rightly recognized that everything he had came from God who created it and that ultimately it all belongs to Him.  So, he held that wealth with a loose hand.  If God needed it for His work, David was ready to give. Generally, God does not ask us to give it all away.  In David’s case, some estimate that what he gave towards the building of the temple was $200 – $800 billion.  He was an extremely wealthy man, and yet he is not remembered for his wealth.  He is remembered as a man after God’s own heart. David did not subscribe to the philosophy of “I made this money, I ought to be able to do with it whatever I want.”

God warns us against this type of thinking,

Deuteronomy 8:17  And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Deuteronomy 8:18  But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day

If all we have comes from God and belongs to Him, then we are stewards or managers of what He has trusted us with. Since He has trusted us with His wealth, then it would behoove us to find out how he expects us to handle what He gives us. To come to this conclusion is right according to God in His Word and can be a major shift in our thinking when it comes to finances.  This shift of seeing ourselves as managers of what God has trusted us with is all part of learning about and living The Prosperous Life.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.