The Owner's Will By Howard Rich

Do you understand the Owner’s will?

 By Howard Rich ~

Have you ever used a little laser light to play with a cat? Cats will chase that little light all over a room, and even try to climb up a wall to catch the tiny spot created by the concentrated beam of light. As a young Christian in my early teens, I had a distorted and frustrating image of God’s will. I was constantly chasing God’s will, as if He was shining a spotlight on a specific area of the ground, and as soon as I would run to it, God would move the light. All I wanted to do was get under that light so I could be right smack in the center of His will. It took me quite some time to understand God’s will isn’t a mysterious moving target that He keeps me running after in confusion.

As I grow in my understanding of God’s will for me as His steward, I am constantly reminded that freedom for the steward draws the believer to a renewed and necessary attention on personal devotion and prayer. Scripture and prayer are the conduits to the steward’s understanding of how the Creator wants His resources deployed; God’s will for His resources is found in Scripture and prayer. Without this incredible connection to God, I can experience paralysis as I wonder what I should do with what has been entrusted to my care.

I have discovered a wonderful truth; there is incredible freedom in being a steward as opposed to being an owner. The steward is free from the tyranny and encumbrances that comes from striving after possessions, but is obligated to understand the intentions of the Creator when resources are placed in his care. Stewardship necessitates dependence on the one who is the true owner and frees the believer to respond in joyful worship.

Making good stewardship decisions can be difficult and stressful, but the good news for me is that I don’t need to wander around in the darkness because God sets His agenda in Scripture. What He wants me to do and how He wants me to interact with His creation is communicated through the history of salvation written in the Bible. God is constantly asking me to learn from His Scriptures and bring my concerns to Him in prayer. Freedom is found in the fact that God owns it and wants me to continually ask Him how to employ His possessions for His use. I don’t have to worry about how to create resources, but I do need to know what to do with what comes into my care. There is a huge responsibility there, and it drives me to my knees.

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Howard Rich is the VP of Operations for the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS).

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