Focus: Lord, I'm All Yours!

Text: Jh.20:28

"My Lord and my God!"

Let me show you who God is to you. Upon seeing the resurrected Christ and realizing who He is, Thomas exclaims, "My Lord and my God." That is also who He is to you: your Lord and your God. God says through Isaiah, "Say unto the cities of Judah, BEHOLD YOUR GOD!" (Isa.40:9). He is your God.

We read in Ecclesiastes, "Remember now thy CREATOR in the days of thy youth…" (Ecl.12:1). In Isaiah, God says, "I am the LORD, your Holy One, the CREATOR of Israel, your KING" (Isa.43:15). God is your creator and king. He reigns in your life.

God says, "The ox knoweth his OWNER, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider" (Isa.1:3). God is your owner. He owns you and all you own. You don't own yourself. You can't exist independently of your owner and maker.

The psalmist appeals, "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our MAKER" (Ps.95:6). God is your maker. He made you; you didn't make yourself. You can't be your own maker or creator. It is impossible. Isaiah declares, "For thy MAKER is thine HUSBAND; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy REDEEMER the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be CALLED" (Isa.54:5). God is your redeemer and husband. He is eternally joined to you. He is creator, maker, owner, redeemer, and husband. Jesus says, "Ye call me MASTER and LORD: and ye say well; for so I am" (Jh.13:13). God is your master and Lord - your ruler and leader. He is totally in charge and absolutely in control of your life and destiny.

Malachi says, "A son honoureth his FATHER, and a servant his MASTER: if then I be a FATHER, where is mine honour? and if I be a MASTER, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you" (Mal.1:6). God is your Father, and you are His child. He is your Master, and you are His servant. You take orders from Him; not the other way round. You do what He says.

God says, "For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy SAVIOUR… I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no SAVIOUR" (Isa.43:3,11). God is your Savior. You have no other Savior. No other Savior exists besides Jesus Christ. If He doesn't save you or come to your rescue, then you are condemned and damned forever. He is your ever present deliverer. Salvation belongs to God. God says again and again, "I the LORD have CALLED thee in righteousness… But now thus saith the LORD that CREATED thee, O Jacob, and he that FORMED thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have REDEEMED thee, I have CALLED thee by thy name; THOU ART MINE. Even every one that is CALLED by my name: for I have CREATED him for my glory, I have FORMED him; yea, I have MADE him" (Isa.42:6; 43:1,7). God is definite and audacious in all His claims and assertions. 

He is your Caller, Creator, Maker, Former, and Redeemer. That means that you are absolutely nothing without God. You have no life or existence without God. You own nothing that you do not owe to Him. You have no destiny and will get to no destination without Him. Your future is only in Him.

He made all things and they subsist by Him. In Him everything finds equilibrium. In Him you live, move, and have your being. Your life has no significance without God. You can't even survive this life without His help. The psalmist declares, "Behold, the Lord is mine helper…" (Ps.54:4).

You owe Him your life and possessions. Melchizedek and Abraham acknowledged God as "the possessor of heaven and earth" (Gen.14:19,22). So nothing is yours until He gives it to you. Humble yourself before God. Submit yourself to Him. Do His biddings. Love Him with all your heart. Be at peace with Him. Say from your heart of hearts, "My beloved is mine, and I am his." Serve Him intentionally and wholeheartedly. Do His will and keep His word.

He loves and cares for you. He created you for His pleasure and glory, and He delights in you. In Him you find true freedom, peace and happiness. Say to the Lord, 'I am all yours!' Surrender to Him afresh and breathe in a fresh oxygen of His Spirit. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter