A monthly column by farmer, preacher and writer for Jesus, Angus Buchan
I read a beautiful article in the Scripture Union Devotional where the writer reminded me that “we are not the owners of the land, but purely the managers.” I thought that was such a lovely reminder.
- Advertisement -
The devil has one objective and that is to work us to death; to get us onto that treadmill, to put as much responsibility as he can on our shoulders and grind us away until there’s nothing left.
- Advertisement -
However, Jesus says in John 10:10 (NKJV), …I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. The land that we are farming at the present time was here before we arrived and will remain here after we leave. It does not belong to any company, to any organisation or even to any Nation; it belongs to God because He created it. He confirms this in Psalm 50:12 (NKJV) If I were hungry, I would not tell you; For the world is Mine, and all its fullness and in Exodus 18:5 (NKJV), … for all the earth is Mine. So we are not to get carried away by any short-term success, or failure for that matter. We are to manage what God has given us, to be good custodians and to thank God for giving us the privilege of being able to manage His creation.
By the way, my dear friend, this does not just mean land, it means all the possessions on the land; all the cattle, silver, gold and hills belongs to Him. Not only that, but our very lives belong to Him. John 3:16 (NKJV) says, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He bought us with His very own blood on the cross of Calvary, so we need to stop stressing and we really need to start rejoicing. Remember that old song which goes like this: “He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got my brothers and my sisters in His hands…” If that’s the case, then why are we stressing so much?
- Advertisement -
Let us today start to enjoy what Jesus has entrusted us with and leave the responsibility of ownership entirely in His most capable hands.
I remember many years ago a man who was very gifted and talented, particularly with figures and his desire was to become a chartered accountant, but because he was the only son in the family and they owned a farm that had been in the family for many generations, his father insisted that he become a farmer.
Unfortunately, his heart and gifting was not in farming, but because he was a dutiful son and didn’t want to disappoint his father, he became a farmer. That farm never ever succeeded. In fact, eventually he went bankrupt and of course was regarded as a failure by his siblings and also by the community. The farm never belonged to his ancestors, it belonged to God and we need to be so careful that we do not put unnecessary pressure on our children and our loved ones to take responsibility of things that don’t really belong to them.
We cannot direct the weather, or our own health, it’s all in God’s hands. So, we need to consciously give everything back to God and leave it in His capable hands. Thank God for what He has created for us to enjoy, for relationships, for loved ones, but to remember always that they actually don’t belong to us, they belong to Jesus because He paid the ultimate price for each and every one of us. John 15:13 (NKJV) says, Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
May God bless you, as you enjoy His provision and try not to take the ultimate responsibility, because it was never meant for you to worry about in the first place.
God bless
Angus and Jill
