We Christians like to say things about how God gives us everything. We talk about how everything we have and everything we are comes from God and ultimately belongs to Him. We talk about how we are merely stewards, how God is letting us manage His stuff.
But then we don’t act like it.
We try to follow God’s rules and God’s will with our own strength. We try to use our talents for God without asking Him how He wants that done. We don’t ask Him for help or to be with us every day. We think we got that job or promotion all on our own. We studied and practiced hard to get that special thing. We forget that the whole reason we even exist is because God gave us breath and life.
God gave you the ability to do your job. God gave you the talent to use for His glory. God gave you the capacity to practice and study. That breath you’re taking right now was given to you by God. God gave you your life – your very existence! Nothing you have is yours, not even you! Your very volition is given by God! Everything you have is not yours, it is God’s. He’s letting you use it because He loves you.
There is an important point here, though: because it doesn’t belong to you, God has full right to take it away from you for any reason without prior notice. But remember that God is not cruel! God gives and takes for justice, for your good, for His glory. Like a parent with their beloved children, God gives because of love and He takes because of love.
Sometimes we get so used to using our “Christian-isms” that we forget what they mean. Sometimes we forget they mean anything at all. So remember when someone says, “I am nothing without God,” there is more truth to that than we often realize or acknowledge!