Mine, Mine, Mine

If you are a parent, I am sure you have cringed on more than one occasion as that cry shattered the peace in your home. Just as toddlers need to be taught how to be less possessive, we as adult believers need similar instruction at times.


Jim Elliot once wrote, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Just a few years later, Jim Elliot gave everything for the sake of the gospel and God's glory. Along the banks of an Ecuadorian river, he gave what he could not keep (his life) to gain what he can never lose - a home in heaven with the Savior who gave His life for Jim's salvation and ours.


We happily embrace the wonderful words of Solomon, “I am my beloved's and he is mine,” assured that this is true because of what Jesus has done for us.


During times of trial, we seek out and cling to verses such as Isaiah 43:1, “Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”


When we seek comfort and assurance, we long to hear God say over us, "You are mine," but when He wants to change some area in our lives, we tend to get possessive. If He wants our time, our talents, or resources, we sometimes balk, with the cry "Mine, mine, mine!" shattering the peace we had with Him.


According to the Word of God, we are NOT our own. All that we are and everything we have belongs to the Lord. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20)


In reference to you and I, God says, “Mine, mine, mine!" This is not selfishness on His part. It is merely a statement of fact. He created us and all that we have is a gift from His hand. He sent His Son to die for us; He redeemed us; we are His purchased possession; we are His children. He has bought and paid for the right to say over our existence, "Mine, mine, mine!" Our response must be one of submission and surrender, realizing His ownership of who we are and all that we have, as the sovereign God of the universe.


When God spoke to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah, each one responded in total submission, saying, “Here I am." David said, “I am thine. O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant.”(Psalm 119:94,116:6)


We must have no more peace shattering cries of “Mine, mine, mine!" When God requires something from us, our response must come from a heart filled with gratitude for all He has done for us and a total surrender to His will and authority over us. Just as a small child must learn to be less possessive, we, as children of God, must learn to cry,


"Here I am. I am Thine. O LORD, truly I am thy servant."