The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
(Psalm 24:1, NLT)

“Mine,” the child cries, snatching the toy away from the startled sibling.  Surprise turns to dismay and the upset child wails in protest.    An argument ensues and when the parent intervenes, trying to reason with the owner of the toy in dispute, the older child insists on his or her rights to the toy.

We attribute this behavior to childishness and often, as adults, believe we have moved beyond these immature ways.  But if we look closely, if we examine our hearts, our attitudes and even our words, we might find that the word mine, rather than Yours (as in the Lord’s), describes what we believe about many things in our lives.

My job.
My house.
My spouse.
My kids.
My (fill in the blank)
But what if we change the first word.

Your job, Lord – Paul encourages us that whatever we do, do it heartily for the Lord (Colossians 3:23).
Your house, Lord – if the Lord truly meets all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), then our home is provided by Him as well.
Your spouse, Lord – I love how Gary Thomas, in Sacred Marriage, has called God our Father-in-Law. If our spouse is a child of the King, then that makes God our Father-in-Law and this perspective might just change how we treat our spouse and how we talk to God about our spouse.
Your kids, Lord – that’s a tough one. I have too often taken ownership of them. Ownership of their successes (I am such a great parent), their failures (I am the reason for all their problems) and their safety (I have to keep them safe).
Your (fill in the blank), Lord – What else do I need to turn over to the Lord, what do I need to remember belongs to Him?

What about my very life?  Have I surrendered it to Him?  Or do I still seek to do things my way, do the things I want to do, pursue things I want to pursue?  As we start out the new year, what resolutions have we made?  If we brought them to the Lord, what would be His thoughts on what we want to work on?  Or if we asked Him, what might He want to work on in our lives this year?

My life.

or

Your life, Lord – Whether in life or death, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:8).

We will explore this idea a little more next week, in Psalm 25.

Until then, we would do well to remember, it all belongs to the Lord

Prayer Heavenly Father, help me to remember that everything is indeed yours. Help me to hold it all with an open hand, to trust You to know best what to do and to be a good steward with what you have entrusted me.

Grace & Peace