When I was growing up in a home with older siblings, I often argued with one of them over his "borrowing" something of mine. Being smaller than they, I had to appeal to "a higher authority." Most of the time, it was Mother, and inevitably, the "thief's" defense of "possession is nine-tenths of the law" (an expression meaning that ownership is assumed in a property dispute, in the absence of clear and compelling testimony or documentation to the contrary; the person in actual possession of the property is presumed to be the rightful owner), did not work because it was as much as an admission that the item did not belong to him. Nevertheless, we all seemed to use it from time to time, always with the same result. We lost.
Speaking of being "lost," it has finally dawned on me that it is also true with regards to one's relationship with God. Can you imagine someone saying, "I am ninety percent a child of God." God doesn't share possession with anyone or anything. You either belong to Him, or you don't; its all or nothing when it comes to being born again. He is either your Father, or He is not (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Heb. 12:6-8).
God has described Himself as a jealous God (Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9). Moses, the writer of the Law, and Jesus, the Fulfiller of the Law, both stressed that we are to love the Lord with our whole heart; that is one hundred percent (Deut. 10:12; Mt. 22:37). In other words, when we place our faith in Him and are adopted as His child, He adopts one hundred percent of us: the good, the bad, and the ugly (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5). The Apostle John went so far as to say we don't have to hope we are His child, we actually know we are! In 1 John 5:13, he wrote, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...."
The Old Testament includes twenty-three named individuals who are quoted as saying God is "my God!" They are Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Naomi, Ruth, David, Solomon, Elijah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Habbakuk, and Zechariah. In the New Testament, only three make that claim: Jesus, Thomas, and Paul. They could all say God was their God because they were His children.
Speaking of being "lost," it has finally dawned on me that it is also true with regards to one's relationship with God. Can you imagine someone saying, "I am ninety percent a child of God." God doesn't share possession with anyone or anything. You either belong to Him, or you don't; its all or nothing when it comes to being born again. He is either your Father, or He is not (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Heb. 12:6-8).
God has described Himself as a jealous God (Ex. 20:5; Deut. 5:9). Moses, the writer of the Law, and Jesus, the Fulfiller of the Law, both stressed that we are to love the Lord with our whole heart; that is one hundred percent (Deut. 10:12; Mt. 22:37). In other words, when we place our faith in Him and are adopted as His child, He adopts one hundred percent of us: the good, the bad, and the ugly (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:5). The Apostle John went so far as to say we don't have to hope we are His child, we actually know we are! In 1 John 5:13, he wrote, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life...."
The Old Testament includes twenty-three named individuals who are quoted as saying God is "my God!" They are Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Naomi, Ruth, David, Solomon, Elijah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Jonah, Micah, Habbakuk, and Zechariah. In the New Testament, only three make that claim: Jesus, Thomas, and Paul. They could all say God was their God because they were His children.
What about you? Does God have all of you?
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