The Common Sense Mom

Dispensing the common sense wisdom you expect from Mom.

Whose Retirement Money is it Anyway?

The bold print caught my eye: “Whose Retirement Money Is It Anyway?” The article I was reading went on to delve into the details of 401(k) fraud. I kept reading…waiting for the response to the question posed in the title. The article’s author never provided an answer, but God already has answered this question in the Bible: “…for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” (Psalm 50:12).

While it may not be difficult to understand that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), we sometimes have trouble with the Lord’s ownership when it starts to get personal. What about my house? All that is in it. How about my favorite outfit? All that is in it. My minivan? All that is in it. My 401(k)? All that is in it. My family? All that is in it. Me? All that is in it.

Once we acknowledge God’s ownership of our material possessions and, indeed, our very selves, we must begin to discern how God intends us to handle the blessings He has provided to us. Again, his Word sheds some light on the matter:

• "God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7)
• “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
• “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (Hebrews 13:15-16)

Have you allowed God to get personal? Do you acknowledge His ownership of all you have--including that 401(k)?