Mine, All Mine!

“Mine, all mine!” a little one exclaims as he or she pulls a toy away from a playmate. A tussle ensues. Good results for one—but not the other.  

Ownership. As adults we have things that we mark as our own, too: a personal phone or computer, a favorite DVD, book, game, or memento.  

Ownership shows in our relationships, too. We introduce family members with, “This is my (husband, wife, mother, father, son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend).  

God desires to have ownership, too, in a different way. He desires that we belong to Him, to call us as His own when we choose to believe in Him. He wants to say, “You are mine.”   

He promises never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We were created with a purpose in mind. He loves us. Unconditionally. Always. Forever..   
 
When we believe in Him, we gratefully acknowledge that God has our best interest in mind. He sent His son to redeem us from the sin of the world, when what we have is taken by others, when we are taken advantage of or cheated, when crimes are committed against us, or when we ourselves submit to the vices of sin.       
 
When we choose God, we can collectively exclaim, “Mine all mine.” He belongs to each of us—and we belong to Him.

Scripture from John 17:10 is fitting: 
“All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.”

With God, there is no favoritism. He loves us equally. Completely. Unconditionally. Now, that is love--and it is something that never can be snatched away from us. 

God's goodness never ceases.  

(photo courtesy of World Bank Photo Collection)