Stewardship of Earthly Riches
The silver and gold and all the earth-stowed treasures are God’s, and He could bring them all into the hands of faithful stewards, who would use them to His glory. But then He would have fewer to share in His joy. Therefore He distributed His gifts according to man’s ability to use them. He would have us learn to use them to His glory and for our good. He would develop in us in the use of them a heart like the heart of God. He would have us the masters of the means, not their slaves. In all our use of God’s blessings, He would have us plan for God, that He may plan for us, or connect us with His infinitely wise plans for our good. If we fail in this, His blessings become to us curses. The riches of earth, which we gather and love, forever shuts us from the eternal riches of God.