Yes, You Belong to God!

Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

I grew up with a dad who loved me dearly, but who, like so many men of his generation, had a hard time expressing that love in words. He usually showed his love in actions.

One of these actions was driving me to junior high Bible study. My group met at 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday mornings on the other side of town. Yet my dad not only gladly drove me to the study every week, but he was also willing to pick up a couple of my friends on the way. This meant we had to leave our house at about 6:00 a.m. It also meant that my dad was driving away from his work, not toward it.

I remember one particular morning sitting in the front seat next to my dad. The car was full, and I was in the middle of a bench seat. I could feel the warmth of my dad’s body next to me. I felt grateful for his faithful sacrifice each Tuesday morning. In that crowded Rambler American on the streets of Glendale, California, I knew that I belonged to him as his beloved son.

Psalm 100:3 reminds us that we belong to God: “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” We belong to God because he made us. He made each one of us individually. And he made us to be his people together. Thus, God continues to watch over us as our good shepherd.

What difference does it make that we belong to God? A huge difference, really. The fact that we belong to God can transform our lives. It can give us profound reassurance of our self-worth. We have eternal value because we belong to the Creator of the universe.

The fact that we belong to God also gives order to our lives. We are first and foremost God’s people. All of our other roles in life must be seen in the light of this primary reality. You may be a lawyer or a manager or a teacher, but you are first of all one of God’s people. You may be a father or a mother or a friend, but you are first of all one of God’s people. How you live in each of these other roles will be shaped by your primary relationship to God as someone who belongs to him.

Sometimes, when life is hard, or when we’ve turned away from God for an extended season, we can wonder if we still belong to him. The good news of the Gospel is that nothing can ultimately keep us away from God and his love. As Paul says in Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Did you catch that? What can separate you from God’s love? Nothing. NOTHING! Nothing can erase the fact that you belong to God through Jesus Christ. What great news this is!

Something to Think About:

When have you experienced the joy of belonging?

Do you feel as if you belong to God? Why or why not?

If you were confident that you belonged to God for eternity, how might this affect your life today?

Something to Do:

Set aside a few minutes sometime today for contemplation. In this time, reflect on the fact that you belong to God. Let this truth sink more deeply into your heart. Let it transform the way you think and feel about yourself, and about your life and work.

Prayer:

Gracious God, how good it is to remember that I belong to you. It’s so easy for me to think of myself primarily in terms of other kinds of belonging: I belong in my family; I belong to my work; I belong to my church. All of these are true, of course. Yet, today I’m reminded that the primary, defining, transformational belonging of my life is simply this: I belong to you!

Thank you, dear Lord, for this truth. Thank you for claiming me in your grace. Thank you for reaching out to me in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the fact that nothing in all creation can separate me from your love.

May I live today as if I belong to you. May I live in the freedom of your grace, seeking to give delight to you in all that I do. Amen.

Explore more at the Theology of Work Project online commentary:
Six Days Shall You Worship