How passionate are you to Christ’s body?

We can look at ownership in many different ways. Some definitions of ownership are: 1. The state or fact of being an owner. 2. The legal right of possession.

The biblical view of ownership is rooted in Deuteronomy 10:14: “The Lord owns the world and everything in it – the heavens, even the highest heavens, are his.” Psalm 24:1 echoes this bold claim, “The earth belongs to the Lord, and everything in it, the world and all its people.”

In the Book of Job, God says, “Everything under the sky belongs to me” (Job 41:11). The earth, then, belongs to God because God made it. If the earth is God’s, it is not really ours. We do not own this planet, although we act like we do. Rather, the Almighty is the landlord and we are the tenants. The Most High has given the earth into our possession for us to use, but we do not hold the title deed or ultimate ownership. God alone is the ultimate owner of all things.

However, we claim legal ownership of possessions so we know what is ours to use and what belongs to someone else. When a person purchases a car or a house, it is to be used by the purchaser and not everyone else. When we die, our goods and possessions go to our family or friends for their use. We take nothing with us out of this world.

John Reh, a management guide, talks about ownership in a job situation. He says, “When you are passionate about what you do, you have more energy. You care more about what you do. When you care more about what you do, you do it better and you can take pride in what you have done. When you are proud of what you have done, you are passionate about it. It is a cycle that feeds on itself and increases your capability.

“On the other hand try this. Don’t take ownership of some job. Just slide through it. Take the easy way out. Let others do the work and sit back and take all the credit when it is done. Do you think that job will be done well? Do you think upper management is going to be looking for the person who did that job so they can put him/her in charge of the next job? Or when the next layoff comes will that person be on the list of expendable people?

“Every job you do has your ‘signature’ on it. People know who did it. You want the work you do to be something to be proud of. So go above and beyond and really take ownership of every job you do. You will feel better for having done that, and others will notice.”

We can apply this idea to ownership in the church. Do we feel a sense of ownership for our church? I’m not talking about the legal title to the building. I’m talking about something more important. St. Paul tells us, “Now you are the Body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Cor. 12:27) Then he goes on to tell us that we have to use our gifts and talents to build up the Body of Christ.

Can you apply Reh’s principles to your ownership in the church? Are you passionate about what you do for Christ’s body? Do you use your energy to build up the church? Or do you “just slide through” the services hoping to get out early to do something “more important?”

Everything you do has your “signature” on it. People will know whether you take ownership of your church or not. People will know if you are truly the “light of the world.” (Matt. 5:14)