What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
Everyone is owned. The question that must be answered is, “What or who owns us?” The answer to the question is easy to determine, because there are only two options: Either we are owned by our Savior or by our stuff. How would you answer this question today?
When we are owned by our stuff, we have removed our Savior from the throne of our lives, and, in essence, we have made Him the “previous owner” of all we possess, including ourselves. We have elevated the gifts of life above and beyond the Giver of those gifts. We have replaced our Savior with our stuff, and our lives are marked by enjoying, serving, and loving the gifts from God rather than God Himself. We are owned by what we possess, rather than being owned by the One who possesses everything.
We must remember that everything we have has been loaned to us by God. He is never the “previous owner.” He owns everything, and He simply allows us to manage and steward it for His glory and the good of others. The apostle Paul made that abundantly clear in our verse for today. Everything we have has been given to us by God. Our next breath and our next heartbeat is a gift from God, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). How foolish of us to imagine that we are the owners, rather than acknowledging that we are owned by the One who is both the Creator and Sustainer of life itself.
Let me ask you the question: What or who owns you right now? What is the confession of your life today? No matter how much you have accumulated, whose is it really? Perhaps this would be a good time to prayerfully consider a “transfer of ownership.” Remember, we were bought at the highest price possible: the precious blood of our Savior. We are not our own. We are His, and it is only when we are in vibrant relationship with Him that we will ever find whatever it is we are looking for, because our Savior is the end of our searching. He is the owner of it all, including you and me, and He is he one who will give our lives meaning, significance, and joy.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 