Open Handed - Week 1
“Who owns the house?”
Matthew 6:19-24
Who owns the house?
Psalm 24:1
- God’s ownership is total, not partial.
“God owns everything that exists. There is not a thing that He cannot look at and say, ‘Mine.’ - AW Tozer
- God’s ownership is rightful, rooted in creation
Psalm 24:2
- We are included in what He owns
“Everything that we have belongs to God. We are but tenants at will.” Charles Spurgeon
We live open handed: We are owners of nothing and stewards of everything.
Matthew 6:19-24
Reward → Treasure → Trust
What are you actually living for?
1. Treasure — You stock and store what you love (vv.19–21)
- Your treasure does not pursue your heart, your heart pursues your treasure.
→ what you repeatedly invest in is shaping what you love
2. Eyes — How you see determines how you live (vv.22–23)
Two types of sight:
→ healthy eye (clear, generous, rightly ordered)
→ bad eye (distorted, greedy, envious)
Prov. 22:9
Signs of healthy eyes:
→ sees God as owner
→ sees resources as entrusted
→ sees generosity as gain
→ sees eternal value over temporary security
Signs of bad eyes:
→ sees self as owner
→ sees money as security
→ sees giving as loss
→ sees life through scarcity, comparison, control
Your internal vision determines whether your whole life is full of light or full of darkness
3. Master — Who you serve and worship (v.24)
This is not about money—it’s about mastery
→ what you serve is revealed by what you trust.
→ what you trust is revealed by what you do with what you’ve been given.
1. You stock and store what you love (Treasure)
2. That shapes how you see everything (Eyes)
3. Which reveals who you actually serve (Master)
1. Surrender what you call “mine”
2. Check what you are treasuring
- What does this show that I love the most?
3. Choose your Master daily
5 Small Group Discussion Questions
- What is something in your life that is hard to see as God’s and not yours?
- When you hear “God owns everything,” how does that make you feel? Why?
- What do your spending habits say about what you treasure most?
- Which is harder for you: trusting God or trusting money? Explain.
- What is one step you can take this week to live more open-handed?
3-Day Devotional
Day 1 — God Owns Everything
Read: Psalm 24:1
Everything belongs to God. That includes your life, your money, and your time.
We often say “my” a lot:
my house
my money
my plans
- But the Bible says it is all God’s.
- This is not bad news. It is good news.
- If God owns everything, then we don’t have to carry the weight of owning it all.
We are not owners. We are stewards.
That means we take care of what belongs to God.
Ask yourself: What have I been calling “mine” that really belongs to God?
Prayer: God, help me see that everything I have is Yours.
Day 2 — What You Treasure Shapes Your Heart
Read: Matthew 6:21
- Jesus says your heart follows your treasure.
- That means what you give your time and money to will shape what you love.
- If you invest in things that don’t last, your heart will follow those things.
- If you invest in God’s Kingdom, your heart will grow closer to Him.
Your habits are shaping your heart every day.
Ask yourself: What am I giving my time and money to the most?
Prayer: Jesus, help me treasure what matters to You.
Day 3 — You Can Only Serve One Master
Read: Matthew 6:24
- Jesus is clear. You can’t serve both God and money.
- Money is not just a tool. It can become something we trust.
- It can become something we follow.
- But only God is worthy of our full trust.
Each day, we choose who we will trust:
God or money, comfort, and control
Ask yourself: Who am I really trusting right now?
Prayer: God, I choose You as my Master. Help me trust You more than anything else.