Owned By God?

Are you owned by God? What does it mean to be owned by God and how does that render the property with rights and abilities, if in fact that's what believers in Jesus Christ are? Consider some scripture; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (English Standard Version)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (English Standard Version)

19Or(A) do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?(B) You are not your own, 20(C) for you were bought with a price.(D) So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 7:22-24 (English Standard Version)

22For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is(A) a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is(B) a slave of Christ. 23(C) You were bought with a price;(D) do not become slaves of men. 24So, brothers,[a](E) in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

We know that Paul and Peter both referred to themselves as bond servants, or slaves to Christ. I suppose many assume that was their self appointed moniker and reality...but the scripture, inspired of the spirit does not reveal that. It reveals something else. It reveals that we were bought with a price. Now weren't we also created? Does God not own the things he creates? Does he create them with independent sovereignty over their lives and choices? Or something else?

My belief is that we're all created with a purpose. A design and in that design each of us fulfill Gods promise to his children, that he will redeem the remnant, judge the fallen and ultimately be glorified. It's only when God is the centerpiece, further, God's authority, decision making and plan are at the centerpiece of our theology that those things occur in our semi-objective mind. They occur in reality, but our perception confuses reality. We can know God more fully and place him on the throne where he belongs if we simply submit to his divine authority...God intercedes daily on our behalf. Who wouldn't want to serve a God like that?

Perhaps we're all run away slaves, believing ourselves to be free, when in reality, we're property. The good news is our owner doesn't beat us for the joy of it. He loves us, and his love is not jaded by his ownership of us. His love is true, even though we're only property. Frankly, that's encouraging to me. Because it objectifies how utterly undeserving of his love and grace I am.

I Love God; My Prayer

I love him because he first loved me. I love him because he gave me the ability to know him, to understand him, to serve him...he's building me, taking me to places I've never been before.

I like being with him. Now I watch as he provides my employment.

God is holy, all that he is, was and will be; holy. Beyond reproach, beyond counsel, beyond need, simply beyond, yet close enough to have a relationship with. Close enough to teach his children. Close enough to be known by his sheep. I hear his call, and I know his voice. He is my master. Though I disobey, I am his child.

I pray for all of you out there who have lost your jobs. Who have family members that don't know God, you who are lost, for you who are hurting, for you who are in the midst of dementia, who through sickness and illness no longer have the ability to come to worship God with a body of other genuine believers.

I pray for Barack Obama. I pray for his entire staff, that they would turn themselves over to God, repent and serve the almighty. I pray that this entire nation would come awake and know the one true God. YHWH.

I know that even now, in this moment, God himself is guiding what will be the annals of history. His hand is upon the United States and every other nation. He's the orchestrator and mediator of this earthly realm. All things are subject to him. As we wonder why God would send an earthquake to Haiti, you might wonder why he hasn't sent one where you live. God is merciful, mighty, just, and loving. He's a creator, our Father, the lover of our souls. All glory to him, none for ourselves.

God wash us, wash this world, blot out our sin and do not hold it to our account.

As For Me And My House

I want to offer the benefit of a conversation that I had with a couple of people. In those conversations there was a context that you'll have to rely on me to deliver properly, but I will do my best to do so.

The essential premises are two viewpoints that aren't diametrically opposed, but their resulting conclusions definitely are.

The first is, you should do works as this is evidence of the spirit and seeking after knowledge of God, while important can't be your primary focus, as it only leads to gnosticism or high browed intellectualism and that's not what we're called to;

The second is, knowing God is our first and primary vocation in this life and that in so doing you can actually produce works of the spirit.

One might beg the question as I did, what is a good fruit and what is a bad fruit, how are they produced, how do you know that it is, or is not fruit.

When most people think of fruits they think of helping someone across the street, feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison. Maybe because they've never really pondered or prayed about my questions directly above.

First, may I remind you of what is the first and greatest fruit...that you be turned in to Jesus Christ. For those he did foreknow to be CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON! So if we're talking about fruits it would be easy to think that works are fruit, and I'm not saying that they, by themselves are not, I'm simply saying that the fruit of the spirit is born in you, and not of yourself. Works are something YOU DO, fruit is something the SPIRIT does. Works are a result of obedience, as a result of the fruit in you, of being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Works that aren't rooted in the fruit of being conformed into Jesus Christ are simply good deeds; nothing more than common grace. Something to feel good about, but not a marker of eternal security.

So what is good fruit? You being turned into Jesus Christ.

How is it produced? God alone.

How do you know if it is fruit? Genuine fruit must conform us to the image of Christ and that can be witnessed over time, but in a word; agony. Do you agonize over your relationship with Christ?When I didn't, I've come to understand that I didn't have fruit.

Finally returning to the original premise; works to show fruit, or fruit that produces works.

My answer is this; our PRIMARY duty is to;

Know God and if we know God; then

We can Love Him, if we love him; then

We can Serve Him, if we serve him; then

We can Serve Others; therefore fruit, produces fruit. Works are simply that, works and they burn up if they are not produced from the vine of Jesus Christ who has started a work in you and will be faithful to complete it if you be in the faith. To do so in any other order will not be effective and would deny God as the author and creator of the good "work" in you.