possessions

Who Are You?

/ insightbyseymour / Leave a comment

Baker, Brewer, and Butcher and Weaver, Woodman and Wright, are more than last names, they are the names of a craft, skill, or trade.  In times past, parents had some choice in the selection of their child’s first name; however, the last name was closely associated with the occupation in which they were employed.  If you worked in the meat market and your name was James, you were probably called “James the Butcher.”

Today, there is little connection between last names and occupations.   At least here in the USA, your name might be Butcher, but you could make your living as a Baker or  Candlestick-Maker.

When we think of identifying someone, we are more likely to think of the characteristic or physical feature that best defines the person.

If you were to be identified by a spiritual feature, what would distinguish you from the rest of society?  In Acts 11:26, a person’s relationship with Christ set him apart from the rest of the community.

The city of Antioch was the first place to call the avid followers of Christ, “Christians.”  Instead of focusing on what divided them, these Christians chose to identify with the love that united them.  No longer would they be called Jew or Gentile, but from this point forward they identified themselves as Christians.

1 Peter 2:9-10 speaks of our identity in Christ:

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

When you think of who you are in your relationship with Jesus, I suggest you think in these terms:

  • You are completely accepted because you have been “chosen.”
  • You are incredibly valuable because you are “His own possession.”
  • You have a wonderful ministry because you are to “proclaim the excellencies of Him.”
  • You are totally forgiven because you have “received mercy.”

There is no mistaken identity here, and I know who you are:  You are a child of the King.

Empty-Handed

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handIn his lifetime, John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest men alive. When he died, his accountant was asked: “Just how much did John D. leave?” The accountant wisely answered: “All of it.”

The words of Solomon confirm this truth: “As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand (Ecclesiastes 5:15).”

This life’s goods will never make you good enough to get into heaven. This is a truth that Jesus shared with His disciples: “Be on your guard against covetousness in any shape or form. For a man’s real life in no way depends upon the number of his possessions (Luke 12:15).”

In light of this verse, ask yourself a couple of questions:
• Do my possessions possess me?
• Am I more focused on the here and now or on the there and then (heaven)?

You can stuff all the stuffing in the world into your Thanksgiving turkey, but he is still dead. Likewise, none of the stuff you’ve owned will be of any value to you once you are dead.

Now take a moment and read Ecclesiastes 5:15 again, and then compare it to what John says in the Revelation: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord . . . they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” It’s not the stuff of the world or your possessions that follow you—it is your deeds!

When you read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, you can see that he has the “deeds” of life in mind: “The foundation is laid already, and no one can lay another, for it is Jesus Christ himself. But any man who builds on the foundation using as his material gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or stubble, must know that each man’s work will one day be shown for what it is. The day will show it plainly enough, for the day will arise in a blaze of fire, and that fire will prove the nature of each man’s work. If the work that the man has built upon the foundation will stand this test, he will be rewarded. But if a man’s work be destroyed under the test, he loses it all. He personally will be safe, though rather like a man rescued from a fire (I Corinthians 3).”

If your heart is full of the world, you will stand before Jesus empty handed. If, however, your heart is full of Jesus, you will stand the test and be rewarded (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

To the Estate of . . .

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????????????????????????????????????????I made a phone call last week, and yesterday, I received a letter that was a response to that conversation. When I opened the envelope, I found a check for $72.72 payable to the Estate of E. Saferite. It was a refund for the unused portion of Mom’s Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance.

The Free Dictionary defines the word “estate” as, “The whole of one’s possessions, especially all the property and debts left by one at death.” In Mom’s case, this is and is not accurate.

If you think of the definition jut in the context of finances, it is a pretty good definition. If, however, you think of it in terms of the “whole of one’s possessions” it is sadly lacking.

The definition does not take into consider Mom’s possessions in Christ. Notice how Peter describes these: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (I Peter 1:3-5).”

Our possessions are an inheritance that is:
• Imperishable
• Undefiled (It can’t be soiled or stained”
• Unfading (It won’t wear out and its resources can’t be exhausted))
• Reserved in heaven for every believer

This inheritance is the result of God’s “great mercy” through which “He gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Do you see the importance of the resurrection? The “new birth” or salvation is associated with the mercy of God and the “living hope” we have in Jesus.

What was the time period between the death of Jesus and His resurrection? Most people answer it was three days. Isn’t a day 24 hours? Doesn’t 3 X 24 = 72?

Remember that check I received in the mail? It was for $72.72. Mom’s estate or “the whole of her possessions” are much more than 72 bucks—it’s everything that Jesus has to offer!