Have you ever borrowed something from somebody? Be it a hand mixer or a minivan, chances are you treat others’ belongings with as much, if not more, care and respect than your own.
There’s some sort of reverence in being entrusted with an item owned by someone else. It causes us to treat it well, take good care of it, and think twice about how we’re using it. At least, that’s my experience!
When I’m permitted to use something I know I’ll be returning to another, I am much more conscientious about it. I think about how they’ll respond to my actions. I appreciate them for extending such a kindness to me. I want them to be pleased with my stewardship.
Remarkably, that description characterizes my very life as well. How about yours?
Christians belong to the Lord. Actually, everything does!
The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. – Psalm 24:1
Believers are those who have submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ. They are baptized into the crucifixion of their Savior and raised to newness of life through His resurrection. As a follower of God, I am not my own.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.
– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
For some that might seem confining, restricting … you know, enslaving. But for me (and I hope for you too!), it is incredibly freeing. It is profoundly comforting. I belong to God because He purchased me from the bondage of sin and death. My mind, heart, body, and life are no longer mine, but His.
Every part of me is committed to Him. Every thought, desire, and decision should be centered around His will. Now, that doesn’t always happen, but the pattern of my life should daily be established in that direction.
One way I’ve seen that is simply in the use of time. I tend to get frustrated when I feel like time is being wasted, whether within or out of my control. But lately God has been reminding me that time is His too. “My” agenda, schedule, calendar, whatever I try to create and claim, is not mine. It’s His, along with everything else He’s made and is sustaining.
So if you find yourself uptight or let down about things in your life, maybe this can recenter you. Whose are you? Whose do you want to be?
God’s Provision: Salvation comes in Christ alone! He is the reason we can abandon ourselves and live a new life—His life, which He laid down for us and raised up again to the glory of God the Father. I love Romans 6: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (verse 4). Amen!
Word of the Week: Ransome. “Obtain the release of (a prisoner) by making a payment demanded.” Through Christ Jesus, Almighty God has ransomed for Himself a collection of sinners-made-saints from every tribe, language, people, and nation to forever be a kingdom of His priests (Revelation 5:9-10). You and I have been rescued, redeemed, and restored! We are not our own but the beloved possession of our affectionate Savior.
Abby
