Whose Are We?


"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God." I John 3:18-20 

Even before we were able to say it, "Mine!" was a passionate part of our lives. My kids growing up were quick to inform others whose toy that belonged to, whose clothes those were the other one was wearing or whose room we were standing in. Sometimes, it fell on me to bring the whining to an end by simply removing the item of contention and saying, "Mine."

In his letter Jesus' best friend, John, was concerned about ownership as well. It wasn't the owning of things he had in view, but rather who had ownership of us. Who do we belong to? This Apostle of Jesus refused to make his message gray. He proclaimed we belong to one of two individuals, Jesus or the devil. He then added that the ownership of Jesus is revealed by a life lived in obedience to God and a love for others.

We like to think we own ourselves. We are told over and over by the world we live in that we are the owners of our own souls. Yet, have we stopped to ask who has the controlling interest in this world that is oriented against God and his word? Yep, the devil. Thankfully, God in his love made it possible through Jesus to come under new ownership. When we stand before God one day, the only question in view will be, "Whose are we?"

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