Scriptures: 1 Chronicles 29:1-13, Haggai, 2:8 Deuteronomy 8:18

“Stuff” is the stuff the world thinks life is made of. We all have “stuff.” We see it, want it buy it, insure it, display it, and measure our worth by how much we have of it. You buy a house and then you stuff that house with stuff. Comedian George Carlin said that a house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it. We build our lives around getting stuff only to die and leave our stuff behind for our kids to fight over or for a complete stranger to take over. Wars are fought over stuff. Marriages disintegrate fighting over stuff. Children are neglected because parents are too busy getting stuff.

God is not passionate about stuff. But He is passionate about people and seeing them use the "stuff" He has entrusted to them for His glory. As Dr. Merritt looks at the biblical story of David and the collection of resources for the temple in 1 Chronicles, he finds practical principles for how to view and manage "stuff" in the context of God's directives.

"God is the single owner and the sole proprietor of everything you have. Your clothes, your house, your car, your computer, your stocks, your bonds, your children, your cd players, your real estate, your investments, your golf clubs, everything you can think of--it all belongs to God.If everything belongs to God and if He owns it all then there is no need for you to worry about your stuff, because it is not your stuff. It is all His stuff." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: David, Solomon, temple, offering, stuff, money, possessions, stewardship, entrusted, management, giving, God, resources, silver, gold, belongings, perspective, Lyndon Johnson, Camp David, self-storage, bling