The simple and direct answer is, “No!” God has made it clear as can be, it is all His, not yours.

Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.
1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas

Most articles stop with Psalm 24:1 but I commend the entire Psalm 24 to you. It is a worshipful writing by King David of God’s majesty. Yes, it is all His. He is Lord and we most certainly are not.

This verse does not stand alone in stating a truth that should be obvious; He is the Creator of heaven and earth (Genesis 1), He is Lord (Colossians 2:6), He is our sustainer (Psalm 3:5), our Deliverer (Psalm 3:7), and much more.

The real question you have to answer once you realize that He is Lord and it is all His, is “And now what?” One great answer, one given by many of His followers is that it means just what it sounds like and we should act the part of being stewards rather than owners. One of the consequences of accepting that my stuff is not really mine, but is His, is that it really is a lot easier to give away His stuff than my stuff! It is always easier to give away someone else’s property.

There are many great examples. Biblically, the apostles gave their all for Jesus their lord, including their lives. Many others have as well, from Stephen the first martyr (Acts 7), to those mentioned without their names in the “hall of faith” of Hebrews 11, to modern day people who made covenants with God that all they had was His, such as Bill and Vonette Bright and Alan Barnhart, just two of many. Our God can perform amazing things when His people are fully committed to Him.

How can you do that? With a covenant with God. There are many with varying levels of completeness. Randy Alcorn has more than one good covenant on the Internet. One is here. His best covenant is more thorough and all-encompassing. It also is available on the Internet but is below for ease of access.

A Financial Covenant with God

I submit to the Lord God Almighty. I affirm his ownership of myself and every aspect of my life. I declare “my” money and possessions to in fact be his. I proclaim him to be the owner and myself the steward, his money manager.

As a symbol of my total submission to God, I set aside the tithe, the first 10% of everything, as holy and belonging exclusively to the Lord. I will return to him the whole tithe, being careful not to rob him and incur his curse. I will give back to him, through his church, the first fruits of all he provides. I do this in obedience to him and in desire of his blessing (Malachi 3:6-12).

By faith I take God up on his challenge “Test Me in this and see.” I ask him to show me it is far better to live on 90% with his blessing than 100% without it.
Having been set on the right course by the tithe, I embark on the lifelong adventure of Christian giving. Beyond the tithe, out of the 90% God has entrusted to me, I will seek to give generous freewill gifts, as I sense his leading.

I pray God will teach me to give sacrificially to feed the hungry, to reach the lost, to invest in worthy causes and ministries which submit themselves to Christ and use his funds wisely and Biblically (2 Corinthians 8-9).

I commit myself to get out and stay out of financial bondage, so I can serve God single-mindedly. Recognizing I cannot take earthly treasure from this world, I purpose to lay it up in God’s hands as heavenly treasure—for Christ’s glory and the eternal good of others and myself.
Signed: ___________________________________________
Witness: ___________________________________________
Date: ___________________________________________

For additional information on the subject of money and possessions, see Randy Alcorn’s great books Money, Possessions & Eternity and The Treasure Principle.

If you are interested, contact The Idlewild Foundation for a free copy of The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn.

About the Author

John Campbell has retired from a 40-year legal practice as a trial attorney in Tampa. He has served in multiple volunteer roles at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, Florida, where he met Jesus. He began serving as the Executive Director of the Idlewild Foundation in 2016. He has been married to the love of his life, Mona Puckett Campbell, since 1972.