I've found myself searching for things to call "mine". Through elementary, it was fighting with my sister for things to call my own. (even though half the time the things were mine, and she really had no desire for them except to upset me). Through junior high, it was a place to fit in, acceptance of friends, and not feeling so much like a nerd. In high school it was still fighting for acceptance, and for others to like me and to want to be around me. In college, it was the same, to find a place where I was accepted, even if that meant compromising my values. After college and into married life, it was a job to call my own, a home to call my own, deeply desiring a property instead of 400-500 square feet of a building. And since the big move to southern Ohio it has been the same...job...church...acceptance and a place in my family...a property to own. I've always struggled with wanting to have "my own things".
I've even noticed that since I have been married I am very protective of my things that weren't acquired through the marriage. One thing in particular stands out in my mind. I have had a little ballerina bunny stuffed animal since I was very small. This isn't a huggable ballerina. It's only about 5" in height, and it has a little looped string attached to it's backside where you can hang in on a christmas tree, a hook in the hallway, or where I like to find it's home, on the doorknob of our bedroom door. When we were packing and moving from our Palmer apt in Bowling Green, I was in the middle of packing and I couldn't find my ballerina bunny. I searched everywhere for this bunny. Up on cabinets, in boxes I already packed...and wouln't you know I found it in the most hideous place ever. THE GARBAGE!!! I was shocked!! I knew that I didn't throw my precious bunny away. There was only one culprit that could of done this. Matthew. When he got home from work...I put a huge flame to his behind. It wasn't his to throw away! Why did he touch MY bunny!!! This was MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! Needless to say....the bunny is back on our doorknob, and my husband knows now never to touch my little pink and white ballerina bunny. HANDS OFF!
I think as humans, we are innately created to have a desire to have things that we call mine. In my time with the Lord this morning, this was made so clear to me, that I want to pass it along. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I really believe this will forever change my view of how Christ sees me, and my place in this world.
Beth Moore writes in her devotional "Beloved Disciple" :
I've even noticed that since I have been married I am very protective of my things that weren't acquired through the marriage. One thing in particular stands out in my mind. I have had a little ballerina bunny stuffed animal since I was very small. This isn't a huggable ballerina. It's only about 5" in height, and it has a little looped string attached to it's backside where you can hang in on a christmas tree, a hook in the hallway, or where I like to find it's home, on the doorknob of our bedroom door. When we were packing and moving from our Palmer apt in Bowling Green, I was in the middle of packing and I couldn't find my ballerina bunny. I searched everywhere for this bunny. Up on cabinets, in boxes I already packed...and wouln't you know I found it in the most hideous place ever. THE GARBAGE!!! I was shocked!! I knew that I didn't throw my precious bunny away. There was only one culprit that could of done this. Matthew. When he got home from work...I put a huge flame to his behind. It wasn't his to throw away! Why did he touch MY bunny!!! This was MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! Needless to say....the bunny is back on our doorknob, and my husband knows now never to touch my little pink and white ballerina bunny. HANDS OFF!I think as humans, we are innately created to have a desire to have things that we call mine. In my time with the Lord this morning, this was made so clear to me, that I want to pass it along. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I really believe this will forever change my view of how Christ sees me, and my place in this world.
Beth Moore writes in her devotional "Beloved Disciple" :
"I am convinced that a certain need to possess is so innate in all of us that if we could call nothing our own, our souls would deflate with hopelessness and meaninglessness. Please hear this: ours is not a God who refuses us all possession. He's simply protective enough of our hearts not to encourage a death grip on things we cannot keep. He's not holding out on us. He's not dangling carrots in front of our noses and then popping us in the mouth when we lunge to bite the bait. Contrary to much public opion, God does not play some kind of sick "I created you to want but will not let you have" game with us. Quite the contrary, the Author of life will only encourage us to call "mine" what is most excellent. Most exquisite. To those who receive, God gives Himself.
When we consider that Jesus Christ came to earth as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, He actually showed amazing restraint in exercising His divine rights (Matt 26:53-54) It's as if Christ seemed to say 'I've set aside My crown, My position, My glory, and soon I'll set aside My life for all of you, but I will not lay down my Sonship. God is My Father. Deal with it'.
The Son of Man had no place to call His own. He had no wife or children. He had no riches, though the diamond and gold mines of the world belonged to Him. He laid claim to nothing. He laid aside everything to descend to earth and wrap Himself in our injured flesh. Taking on our humanity, He also took on our most intrinsic need. In all the loss and sacrifice, He needed something He could call "Mine". Christ came to earth with nothing but His Father, and that relationship was nonnegotioable.
When we consider that Jesus Christ came to earth as the fullness of the Godhead bodily, He actually showed amazing restraint in exercising His divine rights (Matt 26:53-54) It's as if Christ seemed to say 'I've set aside My crown, My position, My glory, and soon I'll set aside My life for all of you, but I will not lay down my Sonship. God is My Father. Deal with it'.
The Son of Man had no place to call His own. He had no wife or children. He had no riches, though the diamond and gold mines of the world belonged to Him. He laid claim to nothing. He laid aside everything to descend to earth and wrap Himself in our injured flesh. Taking on our humanity, He also took on our most intrinsic need. In all the loss and sacrifice, He needed something He could call "Mine". Christ came to earth with nothing but His Father, and that relationship was nonnegotioable.
Dear Child of God, if you and I were as unrelenting in excercising our rights of sonship or daughtership, our lives would be transformed. Satan would never be able to dislodge us from God's plan and blessing. You see, Christ had to make the decision to lay aside many rights, but because He retained the most important one of all, His right of Sonship, Satan could not win. Christ led many sons to glory and got to once again pick up every right He had laid aside.
God may ask you to lay down the right to be acknowledged in a situation, to give our opinion, to take up for ourselves, or to be promoted as we think we deserve. The right to leave a spouse, even though we might have biblical grounds; to withhold fellowship when the other person has earned our distance; to be shown as the one who was right; to maintaint our dignity in earthly matters; to exercise our basic human rights. But let this truth be engraved on your heart: you will never be required to lay aside your rights as God's child-nor must you ever fall to Satan's temptation to weaken your position. As long as you exercise your rights of sonship, constantly reminding yourself (and your enemy) who God is and whose you are, Satan will never be able to defeat you or thwart any part of God's plan for you life. Any loss of other right God permits or persuades you to lay aside is temporary. You will ultimately receive a hundredfold in return.
Hold your position! Never let anything or anyone talk you out of exercising your right of sonship! Satan targets us because we are the children of God. He is defeated when we refuse to back off from our positional rights. The last thing he wants to hear from you is, "I am a born-again, justified child of God, and I exercse my right to rebuke you! You, devil, are defeated. You can't take me from my Father nor my Father from me.
No matter what you may lose or lay aside, you can call the Father of life "mine"! As His child, you have 24/7 direct access. God will never turn a deaf ear to you or look the other way when you are treated unjustly. You aren't left to hope He hears you, loves you, or realizes what's going on. Know it. Never view your situation in any other context than God as your Father and you as His child."
God may ask you to lay down the right to be acknowledged in a situation, to give our opinion, to take up for ourselves, or to be promoted as we think we deserve. The right to leave a spouse, even though we might have biblical grounds; to withhold fellowship when the other person has earned our distance; to be shown as the one who was right; to maintaint our dignity in earthly matters; to exercise our basic human rights. But let this truth be engraved on your heart: you will never be required to lay aside your rights as God's child-nor must you ever fall to Satan's temptation to weaken your position. As long as you exercise your rights of sonship, constantly reminding yourself (and your enemy) who God is and whose you are, Satan will never be able to defeat you or thwart any part of God's plan for you life. Any loss of other right God permits or persuades you to lay aside is temporary. You will ultimately receive a hundredfold in return.
Hold your position! Never let anything or anyone talk you out of exercising your right of sonship! Satan targets us because we are the children of God. He is defeated when we refuse to back off from our positional rights. The last thing he wants to hear from you is, "I am a born-again, justified child of God, and I exercse my right to rebuke you! You, devil, are defeated. You can't take me from my Father nor my Father from me.
No matter what you may lose or lay aside, you can call the Father of life "mine"! As His child, you have 24/7 direct access. God will never turn a deaf ear to you or look the other way when you are treated unjustly. You aren't left to hope He hears you, loves you, or realizes what's going on. Know it. Never view your situation in any other context than God as your Father and you as His child."
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