Each day in my email inbox I receive "Mikey's Funnies. He must have known I was using Monopoly to teach some biblical principles on stewardship because here is Monday's edition. "Growing up as a kid, I learned all about capitalism through the board game Monopoly. I mean, what better way to teach a young mind the way our economy functions. I loved this game and I still do. Only now, as an adult I have some questions that remain unanswered. For instance, if I have all this money and own all this real estate…why am I still driving around in a thimble?"

Last week we asked the question: How many hotels are enough? It was a message on how greed clouds our spiritual vision and puts us on a slippery slope that takes us far away from God. We talked about how to be rich toward God by being content with what we have and by being generous with what we have.

Today, we're going to answer another question. Who owns Boardwalk? Boardwalk and Park Place are the prime pieces of property on the Monopoly board. They would be like owning real estate on Hilton Head Island or Lower Manhattan. Of course, to purchase Boardwalk will cost you more than any other piece on the board--$400. But if you buy houses and eventually a hotel, someone will have to pay you some big bucks if they land on your property. Landing on Boardwalk with a hotel will cost you $2,000. That's a bunch of Monopoly money. In today's currency that would be about $30,000. I believe I could handle that.

But let's go back to the heart of our lesson for today. Who owns Boardwalk? Does the race car, the thimble, the iron or the ship own it? Or does the banker own it? Of course, the more critical question is: Who owns your property? Who owns your bank account?

One of the truths that has helped me immensely in my faith is that God is the rightful owner of everything. When the Bible says, "For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10), I say "Amen." I believe that God is the creator and owner of everything.

The other day one of our members reminded me of a point I made in a sermon six or seven years ago. I was impressed. It was about this very issue of God's ownership. We just had purchased a brand new Honda Civic. With only several hundred miles on the odometer, Anita got rear-ended on I-26. God and I had a talk. I said, "God, your car just got tore up. It's yours. I hope you can fix it."

Really, that is how I try to live my life. It's amazing how accepting God's ownership of everything will decrease your worry and stress levels and increase your faith quotient. It really helps you become generous too when you know that what you're giving away isn't yours anyway.

Don't get me wrong. I still struggle. I still try to reclaim ownership at times. One of the hardest things for me to give up is the remote control. Yes, even the remote belongs to God. Seriously, when things are tight financially, I have to remind myself that God is the owner and is in control. When something breaks and must be repaired or replaced, sometimes I forget to acknowledge to God that it was His stuff anyway.

How do you handle this ownership issue? Do you ever think about it? Do you agree with me? For the person who has worked extremely hard through the years and has made sacrifices in order to accumulate wealth, sometimes this ownership issue is a tough pill to swallow. Does God really own everything? Let's see what the Bible says.

Our key text this morning comes from 1 Chronicles 29. King David had led the people of Israel in a humongous capital stewardship campaign. The money raised would go toward the construction of a magnificent temple, a place that would be called God's House. David himself went "over and above" in his gifts. He modeled true sacrificial giving. It was a glorious day as the king called the people together to report on the offerings, to encourage them, and to hand the reigns of leadership to his son Solomon, who would actually oversee the temple construction.

In his talk to the people, he moves into a period of prayer of gratitude to God. It is this prayer that I want us to study closely this morning. Read verses 10-14 with me. Let's highlight a few of the statements David included in his prayer.

First, in verse 11 he prays, "For everything in heaven and earth is yours." What an awesome declaration. Everything in heaven belongs to God. Everything on earth belongs to God. I believe that covers it all, doesn't it? Can you think of anything that God does not own? Bottom line-everything, everything belongs to God. He is the owner. By the way, verse 10 describes God as from "everlasting to everlasting." In other words, He has always been the owner of all things and always will be the owner of all things.

Now look at verse 12. "Wealth and honor come from you." The material blessings you enjoy come from God. You might say, "My paycheck is signed by the company president or treasurer. It doesn't say anything about God." If you are in the landscaping business, who causes all those weeds and grass to grow and the leaves to fall so that you will have work to do? If you sell cars, ultimately where did the materials come from to manufacture that vehicle? If you are in the heating and air business, who made the nighttime air cold so that we need to turn the heat on? If you teach school, who brought those children into the world and gave them brains so they could learn? Everything always points back to God.

Whatever blessings you may enjoy, don't forget God's role in it. The Bible says, "But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18). Who gives you the ability to produce wealth? He does. Who owns Boardwalk? God does.

Look at verse 14. Humbly, David talked about the privilege that he and his people had to be generous in supporting their building program. Then look what he said next. "Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." That's awesome! He's saying, "God, we're giving all this money to build a place to worship; but actually you're the one who gave us the money in the first place. So really we're just bringing what is yours anyway because everything comes from you."

You may be wondering what these truths have to do with your life. I'm glad you asked. May I give you the Reader's Digest Extreme version of what the Bible teaches on this subject? It's very simple. I own nothing. God owns everything. I own nothing. God owns everything.

What did you get for Christmas? I got some pants, shirts, Clemson pull over jacket, and, of course, some socks and underwear. Oh, I also got a nose hair trimmer. Guess what? All those gifts-they actually belong to God, especially the nose hair trimmer.

How much take home money did you get in your last paycheck? Guess what? Not your money. Remember, you own nothing. God owns everything. How much do you plan to put in the offering plate in a little bit? Guess what? It's God's money anyway, not yours. How many square feet are there in your home? Guess what? Every square foot belongs to God. How many stocks and mutual funds do you own? Guess what? You don't own them. God does. How much property do you own? Guess what? Not yours. Belongs to God. "Yeah, but I have to pay taxes on the property." Right, but guess whose money you use to pay the taxes? God's.

If you walk with Christ, you can also apply this truth to your problems. Are you sinking financially? God's problem. Are your children or grandchildren running from God? God's problem. Is your job situation shaky? God's problem. Did you get a bad doctor's report? God's problem.

I'm not trying to overkill. But I believe if we allowed this truth to infiltrate our lives like it should, it would mean a huge difference. The fact that God is the owner of all should directly affect how you handle your money. The fact that God is the owner of all should greatly increase your attitude of gratitude. You see, even your salvation is a gift from God. You certainly did nothing to earn it. The fact that God is the owner of all should have a bearing on how you view all of life with its extreme ups and downs. This truth should affect how you use your time, your talents and your treasures because He owns your time, talents and treasures.

Let me give you two very simple, yet profound and life-changing things that you can do to put this truth into your life in a practical way. Remember, I own nothing. God owns everything. Based on that truth, first of all, be grateful. David prayed, "Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?" That's a prayer obviously coming from a grateful heart. Scale of 1 to 10, how well does your life reflect a heart filled with gratitude?

God is the owner of all. Therefore, be grateful. Second, be a good steward. I started to phrase this "be a steward." But, no, we all are stewards. The question is: what kind of steward are you? Everything you have, every material possession has been loaned to you by God. Even your family has been loaned to you. God has given you the responsibility of a steward, a manager. So, are you being a good steward of all that God has entrusted to your care?

Are you being a good steward with the wife/husband God blessed you with? Are you being a good steward with the children God has given you? Are you being a good steward of your hours in the day, not blowing one hour after another in things that don't really matter? God has given you spiritual gifts. Are you using your gifts to the fullest? He's given some of you lots of money; some He's given a medium amount of money; some He's given very little money. The issue is not how much money, but what are you doing with what He gave you?

This matter of being grateful and being a good steward must not be taken lightly. I'm afraid that we approach this truth with a flippant attitude. As owner, God can take away your money, your family, your job, or your home anytime He so chooses. When we're not faithful stewards, many times that's what He does. The Bible says, "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7). When we're not good steward of our bodies, God might take away our health. When we're not good stewards in our families, He might drive wedges in relationships. When we're not good stewards with our money, He might allow you to go down roads that will never satisfy you.

I own nothing. God owns everything, including Boardwalk. Therefore, I must be grateful. And I must be a good steward of all that He has given me.

Are you willing today to make a public declaration that transfers ownership of everything you have to God's hands? After all, He owns it all anyway. But will you publicly declare this truth today? In your materials this morning you should have received a Certificate of Ownership. I want you to look the document over carefully and prayerfully. I believe this truth we've focused on today is the essence of stewardship. Until you declare that all your stuff actually belongs to God, you will always have problems with materialism and greed. But when you settle this issue, you will become grateful and possess a strong desire to be a faithful steward of all that He has entrusted to your care.

[Give opportunity to complete certificate and make a public stand]