I Am Not My Own

        As you go through each day, you will notice that, more times than not, you are at the top of your list. You wake up in the morning and think of all the things you need to accomplish that day. You make sure you choose the right outfit in accordance with what the weather will be like. If you’re in college, right when classes are over you will do one of two things – begin working on the mounds of homework you have for the next day, or… sleep. You may not think of it in this way, but the fact still holds true that we have the human desire to please self.

        There is nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. However, when you allow your own desires to interfere with God’s plan for your life there is a problem. I Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Read the following words to the song “Lord, Take My Life”, and think about ways you can apply these ideas to your own life:

Lord, take my life,

Make it Your home;

Lord, live through me,

For I am not my own.

But with a price,

The blood of Your Son

Nothing I’ve earned,

But by Your grace I come.

Lord, take my heart,

Make it Your throne;

Lord, reign in me,

For I am not my own.

Lord reign in me,

For I am not my own.

        I noticed two things that I personally need to work on in my Christian walk. First, I need to allow God to use my life for His glory. As the verse and song state, “I am not my own.” By dying on the cross for my sins, the Lord purchased me, and therefore I have absolutely no excuse as to why I should be allowed to live for myself. The Lord has the right to do with my life as He pleases, and I need to hand over my own desires in exchange for His. This is not an easy task to do, because we are innately selfish human beings with our own wants. Some of these wants may include how we dress, what music we listen to, or how we react to various situations. You will not receive fulfillment or satisfaction in these areas or others until your focus is shifted from “This is what I want” to “This is what God wants.”

        Second, I want Christ to be Master of my life. So many people or even things can take over my life, and it can become overwhelming. The reason? Humans are fallible and will make mistakes that can become stumbling blocks or cause me to struggle. Things in this world are finite, and will not bring ultimate joy into my life. So why allow people and things to rule your life when all you need to do is let the God you asked into your heart the moment you sought out salvation be your Master! You have already asked Him into your life, so why not turn over your entire life to Him? This includes your actions, thoughts, deeds, choices, everything. He wants to have reign of your life and heart.

So who are you living for? 

- S.D.