The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Sweet Sigh"
Among its many truths and revelations, the book of Job teaches us that the more we have, the more subject we are to the temptation of fearing loss.
"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Job 3:25).
Job was a godly man, and greatly blessed with family, friends, things, health, and reputation. This did not, however, keep him from being tempted to be possessed by that which he thought belonged to him. He was possessed by his possessions, which were really not his to own. By his own admission, he succumbed to the temptation of greatly fearing the loss of blessings that were never his to begin with.
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" (Psalm 24:1).
Job did not know he was a steward rather than an owner. God owns every atom and every heart in His creation. For His purposes, He allows Satan, "the god of this world," to have a limited form of dominion (II Corinthians 4:4). He also permits human beings to presently function with one another in terms of have and have not. However, nothing changes the fact that "the Possessor of Heaven and earth" owns all, including ourselves and everything we perceive ourselves to be"have." As the Psalmist and hymnwriter so wisely affirm, "I am Thine" (Genesis 14:19; Psalm 119:94).
Breathe the sweet sigh of relief in the light of such truth! We can let the delusion and illusion of ownership melt away as we acknowledge…
"It is all Your's, Father. I am all Yours. Be it family, friends, things, health, and reputation, I no longer must be possessed by possessions that never really were possessions. Instead, I am a caretaker of that which belongs to You. Whatever You allow me to "have," I have it for Your glory, will, and eternal purpose in the Lord Jesus Christ. I have it only as vouchsafed to me for Your purposes. In this light of grace and truth, I let it go, for it was never mine. Lead me to be a wise steward, wise in the truth and peace that all is Thine, and I am Thine."
We could lose everything we presently seem to possess, but if God remained, we would have lost nothing. As my wife Frances says, "Having Him, we have all." This does not ignore or minimize the pain of loss felt even by stewards when things slip away. It does, however, remind and encourage us to frequently see our hands and hearts as empty of possessions in the truest and most important sense. This moment offers opportunity to acknowledge our Father as the owner of that which only He is capable of properly administering, that is, of everything. Yes, let us breathe the sweet sigh of relief, as borne on the blessed prayer whereby we let go of that which was never ours to possess.
"The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, Thou hast founded them."
(Psalm 89:11)
Weekly Memory Verse
What hast thou that thou didst not receive?
(I Corinthians 4:7)
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