“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”—Psalm 24:1

Jews and Gentiles share together in the greatness of the Lord Yeshua. We are part of the same great tree, some there originally and some grafted in. That makes us “One New Man” as explained to us by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:15. But, how did we come to share in the greatness of the Lord, and what does this mean?

As believers in Yeshua Messiah, we have access to the Father. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father but by Me.” We know that our Lord is the only way to the Father. We have been baptized into the death and resurrection of our Lord. We share in His creation of the earth with all its fullness.

The Apostle Paul put it this way: “…How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”—Romans 6:2-4

Our Father made us in His image with unique abilities and distinctive qualities.

He has made us in His image, but we have never stopped being His creation (see Genesis 1:26). He gave us authority and dominion over the earth, but the earth never stopped being His. It’s the same as when you lease a house or some other property, you have dominion and certain rights over that property, but you don’t own it.

Just as in the parable of Matthew 21:33-40 when Jesus spoke of the landowner planting a vineyard, setting a hedge around it, digging a winepress and building a tower—then leasing that fullness of what He had built to vinedressers (tenants, stewards), we see that same “fullness” of His creation—the world—spoken of in Psalm 24, as being leased out to us.

Man is a tenant in God’s earth. We are stewards, not owners. We are here for only a short time.

“Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.”—Genesis 2:15

This leads us to the power of that stewardship and the desire of our Father to give us what we need to complete that mission of stewardship.

This is where we must realize that God has given us the ability to earn our wealth.

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”—Deuteronomy 8:18

Some of us are able to do well with this God-given ability, but others struggle with it. However, it was God’s intention that all of us do well—to learn to appropriate the fullness of His Kingdom life as we steward what He has given us. In doing so, understanding that we don’t own the land (all is God’s), and our ability to get wealth comes from our Father.

Where does that leave us?

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”—Matthew 20:1-16

While it is true that we earn what we earn, whether it’s a fair wage or not, we have earned it. We agreed to a certain rate, and for the most part, that is what we received less any deductions that are required by law or agreement.

When we work for someone else, we need to decide how we use and invest our earnings.  Likewise, when we are our own boss, market forces determine our income, yet we still need to decide how we use and invest our earnings. This is true regardless of whether we are sharing eternal life as God’s own or are separated from His saving grace as ones whom He never knew.

Remember: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”—Romans 6:23

Let’s go back to the beginning.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”—Psalm 24:1

Everything belongs to God—this world in all its fullness, the people with all their talents and skills—all of it. Yet, we are given a choice to choose Him or not. We are allowed to share in that fullness if we choose to love Him by accepting His Son as our Savior.

When we grasp this revelation that everything belongs to God, we realize that all we have, all we’ve earned, all we’ve been given is God’s. One hundred percent belongs to Him.

God graciously allows us to keep what we will to keep. All He asks us to return is a small portion—just ten percent as a minimum. Since God is so generous, He challenges us to a “giving game.”

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”—Luke 6:38

“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”—2 Corinthians 9:7

In our giving, it is the heart that God looks at. He knows our needs and desires. He knows our means. Jesus watched as those with great wealth or even moderate wealth, put in very little compared to the poor widow woman who put in all she had. He said she put in more to the treasury than any of the others. Even though they gave more compared to her gift, she gave more in the eyes of the Father (see Mark 12:41-44).

Finally, for those of us who belong to the Lord, we need to realize that our Father is motivated by love, and love should be what motivates us. Yeshua demonstrated love in all He did while living on this earth, and tells us that the Ten Commandments, given to Moses by the Father, are demonstrated by love.

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’”—Matthew 22:35-40

We are therefore required to learn to love God and each other. The only way we can do that is to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. As we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, bringing back to God becomes easier and easier. It is not only money we tithe, it is our talents, our time, and our love that we are bringing to Him.

When we understand that everything belongs to the Father and to our Lord Christ Jesus, who by His great love has given all to us, we learn to gladly surrender all back to Him, since all belongs to Him!

When we understand that the heart of the Father is to love His creation and to share all its fullness with us, we learn that He responds and is motivated by our love for Him and for each other. This is the “Greatness of Sharing” in His Kingdom Life!