You Belong to Jesus
Deuteronomy 7:6 - "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession."
Psalm 24:1 - "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (NIV)
John 17:9 - "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours." (NIV)
Romans 11:36 - "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (NIV)
Colossians 1:15-18 - "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (NIV)
1 Peter 2:9-10 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (NIV)
As you grow into adulthood, you gain more and more independence. You learn to make your own decisions about money, relationships and our future. You try to master our own destiny… to control your life. There are many implications to the truth that Jesus is Lord. The most basic implication is that he deserves to be worshipped and obeyed simply because of who he is. The follow on implication is that everything belongs to Jesus, including you! "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1 NIV). Since he made you and owns you, he also has the rights to you.
Knowing that you belong to Jesus is a very comforting truth. He designed you and knows you intimately. He alone knows the pathway to your best future. At the same time, we wrestle with our independence. We sometimes don't like the thought of being owned by someone. When Jesus exercises his right to our lives by commanding us to repent or follow him, we can draw back with a bit of misgiving. Our human nature does not like being ordered around or told what to do. But, Jesus is not a big bully or boss in the sky. He alone actually has the right to command us to follow him. As Lord, Jesus is the most faithful, patient and kind master in the universe. He can be trusted!
The laws that our Lord gives are not his effort to slap our hands, but they are simply descriptions of reality. When we break his law, natural consequences follow. When we agree that we belong to God and that he alone has the right to our lives, everything falls into order. We are not controlled by people or circumstances when we acknowledge that God owns us. We are filled with purpose and meaning when we agree with and live out the truth that Jesus is Lord.
For More Study
Thoughts and Questions for Application
Memorization
1 Peter 2:9-10 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (NIV)
Psalm 24:1 - "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (NIV)
John 17:9 - "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours." (NIV)
Romans 11:36 - "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (NIV)
Colossians 1:15-18 - "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (NIV)
1 Peter 2:9-10 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (NIV)
As you grow into adulthood, you gain more and more independence. You learn to make your own decisions about money, relationships and our future. You try to master our own destiny… to control your life. There are many implications to the truth that Jesus is Lord. The most basic implication is that he deserves to be worshipped and obeyed simply because of who he is. The follow on implication is that everything belongs to Jesus, including you! "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it." (Psalm 24:1 NIV). Since he made you and owns you, he also has the rights to you.
Knowing that you belong to Jesus is a very comforting truth. He designed you and knows you intimately. He alone knows the pathway to your best future. At the same time, we wrestle with our independence. We sometimes don't like the thought of being owned by someone. When Jesus exercises his right to our lives by commanding us to repent or follow him, we can draw back with a bit of misgiving. Our human nature does not like being ordered around or told what to do. But, Jesus is not a big bully or boss in the sky. He alone actually has the right to command us to follow him. As Lord, Jesus is the most faithful, patient and kind master in the universe. He can be trusted!
The laws that our Lord gives are not his effort to slap our hands, but they are simply descriptions of reality. When we break his law, natural consequences follow. When we agree that we belong to God and that he alone has the right to our lives, everything falls into order. We are not controlled by people or circumstances when we acknowledge that God owns us. We are filled with purpose and meaning when we agree with and live out the truth that Jesus is Lord.
For More Study
- Deuteronomy 7
- Psalm 24
- Romans 11:22-36
- 1 Peter 2:1-12
Thoughts and Questions for Application
- Ask God to search you for independence - meaning, areas in your life where you act like you are Lord.
- As God reveals your heart to you, take time to lay your independence at his feet, asking him for forgiveness and committing to walk with Jesus as Lord of your life.
- Meditate on the truth that you belong to Jesus. Allow him to speak his words of love to you.
Memorization
1 Peter 2:9-10 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (NIV)
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