Devotional: The Almighty Dollar- God Owns it All
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it.”
Psalm 24:1 (NIV)
Money is rarely just about money.
It often functions as something deeper. A source of meaning. A measure of worth. A promise of security. Because of that, money quietly reveals what we trust most. It exposes where we look for safety, control, and hope.
Scripture begins our understanding of money not with technique, but with theology. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. God is not merely a participant in our lives. He is the owner of all things. That truth reframes every conversation about finances.
When we forget who owns our lives, something else will step in to take that place. Money is especially persuasive because it offers tangible reassurance. It feels concrete. It promises stability. But when money becomes an authority rather than a tool, it begins to ask from us what only God can give. Peace. Identity. Assurance about the future.
This is why Scripture warns us not about money itself, but about the love of money. Love, in this sense, means trust. Dependence. Ultimate allegiance. When money becomes a master, it places a burden on us that it cannot sustain. It demands constant attention and produces anxiety rather than rest.
The gospel offers a different posture. We are not owners, striving to secure our lives through careful control. We are stewards, entrusted with resources that ultimately belong to God. Stewardship does not minimize responsibility, but it does relocate authority. God is in charge. We are invited to manage faithfully, not fearfully.
This shift does not come from better budgeting alone. It comes from re-centering our hearts. Romans reminds us that God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. If God has already given us what we most need, then money is freed from being our savior. It can return to its proper place.
True freedom with money begins when God is once again recognized as God.
Prayer
God,
You know how easily our hearts attach to what feels secure and controllable. We confess the ways we trust money to give us what only You can provide. Reorient our hearts. Help us to live as stewards who trust Your generosity and care. Teach us to rest in Your authority and to manage what You have given us with faith and wisdom. Amen.
Discussion Questions
What does your relationship with money reveal about where you seek security or control?
How does recognizing God as owner change the way you view responsibility and trust?
In what ways have you allowed money to carry weight it was never meant to hold?
What practices might help you live more fully as a steward rather than an owner?
Dig Deeper
• Book: Redeeming Money: How God Reveals and Reorients Our Hearts by Paul David Tripp
• Podcast: Money: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly by Tim Keller
• Scripture: Did you know there are 2,350 Bible verses that talk about money and possessions? What the Bible says about money by topic
Money loses its power over us when God regains His rightful place. Stewardship flows not from fear, but from trust in the One who owns it all.
