1 of 1

Key Bible Verse: All the believers … felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had (Acts 4:32). Bonus Reading: 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Several years ago when my mom had to stop driving, I picked up her car, a Ford Escort. Slow but economical, it became my transportation between home and the church I pastored 90 miles away. After I resigned, it became an extra car. We knew it belonged to God, so we sometimes loaned out "God's car" to friends in need. A buddy from a home Bible study needed short-term wheels, so I let him use it. He liked it and asked to buy it.

We agreed on a price, he made a small down payment, and promptly quit paying. He didn't change the registration with the state, so we remained liable. Soon after, he quit returning my calls. He did respond to an e-mail, saying he'd take care of the registration. He never did. Months later I received notice of a parking violation and other problems. I contacted our church, and he'd quit attending. Short of tracking him down and taking him to court, Mom's car and the money have disappeared. That ticks me off. We had counted on that money and didn't have a lot to spare. Justice plays a role in my anger.

But, I try to remind myself, God owns that car. He didn't "steal" it from me, but from God.

Renouncing ownership means we keep a loose grip on our stuff; we try not to get too attached.

—Tim Riter in Not a Safe God

My Response: The part of Tim's response I can relate to is …

Thought to Apply: All you are unable to give possesses you.—ANDRÉ GIDE (French author)

Adapted from Not a Safe God (Broadman & Holman, 2006) by permission.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

 1 of 1

share this page

Prayer for the Week

Help me, Lord, to break the small child's compulsion to say, 'Mine! Mine!' and loosen my grasp on things.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter (All fields required)    RSS Feed   RSS Help