For many of us, this represents not just what we can do with our money, but also the order under which we prioritize it. Notice that, other than the last point, everything is about us. Even paying taxes is about “us”, it is the collective “we”. Psalm 24:1 says­­—“The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains.” We also read in Deut. 10:14 “To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” God is the owner. We are His managers, caretakers, agents, curators, guardians, and custodians. The biblical worldview then is that we have a “stewardship” responsibility, not owners’ rights. Today’s western culture, promotes “me-first” thinking and many of us have developed a sense of entitlement from life. We believe that we are deserving of a certain lifestyle: money, large homes, vacations, nicer cars, and stuff that brings a sense of immediate fulfillment and accomplishment. The culture around us promotes this as the abundant life. Nowhere does it say that God has transferred ownership of anything to us. He has however, transferred the responsibility to us. 1 2 | u n m a s k i n g m a m m o n Unmasking_Mammon_book_4.5.indd 12 2018-07-11 7:41 AM