Owner vs. Manager: Living With Open Hands
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” — Psalm 24:1
We live in a culture that prizes ownership. Owning your home, your business, your car, your time—these are badges of success. But Jesus invites us into a radically different mindset: you don’t own any of it.
You’re a manager. A steward. And that’s not a downgrade—it’s a divine appointment.
Psalm 24:1 doesn’t leave room for debate: “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” That means our money, our gifts, our time, even our influence—none of it ultimately belongs to us. We’re caretakers of what God has entrusted.
That changes everything.
When you think like an owner, you clutch tightly. You stress about loss. You protect, control, and defend.
But when you live like a manager, your hands open. You ask different questions. Instead of, “What do I want to do with my resources?” you begin to ask, “God, what do You want me to do with Your resources?”
That shift brings freedom. Because when it’s not yours to begin with, you’re free to give it away, to invest it in people, to release it when He says release.
Jesus told a story in Matthew 25 about three servants entrusted with talents (a sum of money). The ones who invested wisely were praised as faithful stewards. But the one who buried his out of fear? He was called wicked—not because he lost anything, but because he never used it.
God has entrusted you with something—probably several somethings. It could be money. A skill. A platform. A story. A gift of hospitality. A heart for prayer. Whatever it is, it wasn’t given just for your comfort—it was given for God’s purpose.
And here’s the thing: owners obsess over results. But managers just need to be faithful.
You’re not responsible for the outcome—only your obedience. You don’t have to make it all work. You just have to be willing to use what you’ve been given for the good of others and the glory of God.
When we embrace the mindset of a manager, life shifts from anxiety to trust. From scarcity to abundance. From control to surrender.
So today, take inventory. What has God placed in your hands?
And then ask: “God, how do You want me to use this?”
Because when we surrender ownership, we finally discover what it means to live free.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”
