Bible Passage: “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:36 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Romans 11:33-36
Freshly washed sleeping bags are draped over chairs around me like a toddler’s fort. My family just returned from a church retreat at Camp Teepee Pole, and I’m doing laundry.
I’m glad we have these sleeping bags, an axe, roasting sticks, a cooler, flashlights, and more. I had incredible joy watching my city-girl daughters shoot pop cans with my BB gun.
As we consider how to stand against our materialistic culture, we need to avoid treating material things as if they are inherently bad (see yesterday’s devotional). Who could go camping without all that stuff?
Genesis 1, John 1, and Colossians 1 alike tell of the God who created the world through Jesus by the power of His Spirit. Romans 11 reminds us that God didn’t just create all things, but retains ownership over them and created them to be used for Him.
“…from him and through him and for him are all things.” (Romans 11:36a NIV).
Theologian Abraham Kuyper says it like this: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”[1]
Everything we have (and are!) is borrowed. It’s all His.
So what would God want you to do with the stuff He’s lent you?
We often think of God like a cosmic taxman trying to get our stuff through church and charity. What if God is better than you think? What if He smiles as He watches my daughters use His BB gun to shoot His pop cans at the shooting range of His camp? What if He’s utterly delighted at the way our church community used His camp to connect, welcome newcomers, and enjoy the lives He’s given us?
In a few weeks, a bunch of people (mostly men) will drive (using His cars) to winterize the camp facilities and chop a shed full of firewood. I think God will enjoy watching it, proud of their sacrificial use of His time and money to keep that camp running.
God is better than we think. To resist our materialistic culture, we need to get to know Him and learn to use His stuff in the way He would.
Prayer: Lord, if I’m honest, I sometimes fear You want to take my stuff and lessen my joy. Help me come to know the goodness of Your character and Your Creation. Deepen my trust and my submission to You. Help me discover the joy of using Your stuff how You’d want me to. Amen.
Reflection: If you were to acknowledge God’s ownership over your stuff, would you use it any differently? How would God use your/His credit line, car, extra bedroom, the chicken in your freezer, etc.? Ask Him to speak to you specifically about this and show you some next steps.
[1] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/99035-there-is-not-a-square-inch-in-the-whole-domain
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