Title Ownership
Contents
♡♥♡ Ownership / Romans 14:7-9
*** Introduction
“This lonely island, along the sea route southeast of Ulleungdo, is one of the hometowns of birds… No matter how many people claim that it is their land, Dokdo is our land.” Do you know this song? Dokdo, a small island in the East Sea, is an uninhabited rocky island. Due to international ownership issues, there is now a servant living there. This is to clarify the justification that Dokdo belongs to the Republic of Korea. In addition to such large chunks of land, land such as rice fields and fields, real estate such as buildings, and intellectual property rights such as lyrics and tunes of songs, various writings and techniques are now guaranteed by law.
As such, the issue of ‘ownership’, claiming all objects and knowledge in the world as one’s own, was not a thing of yesterday or today. It has continued from the inhabitation of man on this earth, and will continue for as long as this earth exists. Christians are no exception in this matter. But our God's people need to make this issue of ownership clearer.
Ownership is the reason why today's Christians distance themselves from God and run on things for their own lust. The way and way to know the knowledge of God and the way of life have been developed incomparably with the past. Now, you can read, hear, and see the Word of God whenever you want. In addition, in terms of life, we are enjoying an abundance that cannot be compared with the past. Nevertheless, modern Christians are losing the power or purity of faith more than the saints of the past, and why are they turning away from God? This is because today's Christians are unclear about ownership.
There is this story in Aesop's fables. An elderly woman with an eye disease called a doctor and promised, ‘If you fix her eye disease, I will pay a big compensation. The doctor would go to the woman's house every day and close her eyes to put the medicine in her eyes, and in the meantime they would sneak up on expensive items in the house one by one. By this time, her eye disease was almost healed. In her house, there was not a single piece of mediocre furniture left. Doctors dragged on treating eye diseases until they were able to steal all the coveted furniture.
Finally, the woman's eyes were healed, so the doctor demanded a case as promised. But she was not willing to do what she promised. So in the end she was put on trial. The judge asked the woman why, "Why don't you pay the promised case?" The woman calmly said, “I promised that I would do a fair amount if I could make sure my eyes could be seen better. But after receiving treatment from that doctor, my eyes were worse than before.” Hearing this, the doctor as well as the judge were greatly surprised and asked the twist again. The woman said, “Before I was treated by that doctor, I saw all the expensive furniture in my house. But now I don't see any. So I think my eyes aren't getting better, but worse than before. That’s why we don’t do cases.”
Eventually, the theft of this vicious doctor was revealed in court.
Like the doctor in this fable, there are too many people around us who have become slaves to possessiveness and whose ownership is unclear: ‘Mine is mine and yours is mine’. Look at the current government. Do you not see them becoming a slave to material things and devouring things? How wonderful it would be to become a servant of God with the good materials and good brains that God has given us. This is all because of obscuring ownership. We want to hear God's word about ownership now.
1. The owner of all material in the world is God.
The first verse 14:1 and below, which is the cause of the text, speaks of the Christian's material and day-to-day life. In other words, he says that all the problems of human life and the problems of every day that each person considers important in life should be used in the ‘purpose for the Lord. This is verse 14:6. “Whoever honors the day honors the Lord, and whoever eats eats for the Lord, giving thanks to God; and he who does not eat does not eat for the Lord, giving thanks to God.”
In this way, the ownership of all material things in the world belongs to God. Because when a person is born into the world, he brought nothing with him. Matter existed before we were born on this earth. This indicates that the owner is separate. Could it be that the first human ancestors possessed all of this? But unless he is a creator, he is also not a master.
Psalm 50:10-12. “Aren’t all the beasts that roam in that forest and the countless beasts that live in that mountain all mine? All those wild birds are mine, and all living things in those fields are mine, aren't they? Even when I was hungry, I did not ask you for it, because the whole world and all that live in it are mine.” In other words, it declares that all matter in the world belongs to God.
It is also said in 1 Timothy 6:6-7. Let's read it together. “But if there is contentment, godliness is a great gain. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” We will read it again in the modern language Bible. “Do you want to be really rich? If you feel happy and content now, you are already rich. When we were born, we did not come out with a penny in our hands. And when we die, we will also go empty-handed.”
In this way, all material things given to us belong to God, and it is God's consideration to prepare man for eternal life while he lives on earth. Then it would be more important for us to use this material well.
The reason why we must properly use material things according to God's will is because the saints are stewards of God's material possessions. And it is because God fills us with more material when we use it properly. Among the gospel hymns, there is a song called ‘The Lost Steward’ (Hymn of Jesus 234). “Why did you forget the mission I entrusted you with? Why did you forget the promise that only I would follow? Why do I only fill your stomach with the wealth I entrusted to you by trusting you? Have you forgotten the promise that you will give it again for me? They say that they comfort rather than be comforted, love rather than be loved, and go on the path of righteousness looking only at the cross and the crown. God sees everything we do and the uses of the materials we use. This is because God has given each of us a mission and has entrusted us with talents and materials for this purpose.
Therefore, we must know that the material resources, talents, and all wisdom and knowledge given to us are not mine, but are temporarily entrusted to us by God and should be used properly. Then how would it be used according to God's will? The correct way to use the substances God speaks of is to be stingy with God first, and then to give to people.
Malachi 3:10. “Thus says the LORD of hosts. Put your whole tithe into a storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me with it, and see if I will not open the gates of heaven and pour out your blessings so that there is no room for them.”
Luke 6:38. “Give. Then it will be given to you, and it will be given to you, being generously pressed down, shaking and overflowing,” said the Lord.
Holding on to it as mine and regretting it does not collect more. Even what is gathered cannot be gathered without the grace of God. The way God allows waste is simple. It makes our bodies sick or causes material scattering by accidents. It's like no matter how long you pour water into the bottom of the poison, it doesn't fill up.
Proverbs 11:24-25. “Even if you scatter and give alms, you may become richer. Those who love giving will become prosperous, and those who nourish others will be refreshed.” If you like receiving and giving to others, you will not be hungry.”
In this way, when we acknowledge that material things belong to God, we will not be bound by them, and we will be able to use them properly. When you use it correctly in this way, God, the owner, fills you more abundantly.
2. The owner of human life is also God.
Not only material things but also human life belong to God. Let's look at verse 8. “If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Why is our life not ours?
People seem to think of this freedom as ‘freedom from God’. Freedom from God is death. Because the moment we are freed from God, we come under Satan's control. It's like a bird re-entering a cage after releasing a caged bird to fly freely.
True freedom is submission to God, the Lord of life. Because there is true freedom in God. The Lord said, “The truth will set you free.” He also said, “Deny yourself, take up the cross given to you, and follow.” Because when you are in Christ, you can enjoy true freedom.
Matthew 11:28-30.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart. Then your hearts will find rest, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
That's right. Our life belongs to the Lord. If I believe and acknowledge this fact, my life and all of my life will be aligned with the Lord. If you don't admit it, you're no longer the Lord's.
The Lord of our life is the God who not only created us, but raised us from our sins. And everything we live and enjoy now belongs to God. Nothing belongs to us. If we firmly believe in this ownership, we will trust and follow the Lord as the most precious. All things are permitted to the saints who belong to the Lord. This is John 15:7. “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish. Then it will be done.” This is the Lord's promise.
Let us go forward with the clear belief that we are all His own people. Therefore, I pray that you will enjoy the abundant life in spirit and body while fully enjoying the promises of the Lord.