Possession and the Disciple

You have undoubtedly heard it said that possession is 9/10ths of the law. However, for the Christian possession is 10/10th’s or “all’ of the law.

What?

Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27).

1. Jesus specified A-L-L—100%. Think on possession this way, when you go to the store do you pay full price for a loaf of bread and then take half of the slices out and leave them on the shelf? Of course not. When we are commanded to love The Lord “our God” the presupposition is that He is in fact our God–the one we worship. Some people claiming a form of Christianity view God as their insurance policy–available if needed, but bears no relevance of daily living.
2. The great problem with Christian possession is division. When the disciple of Christ is double-minded or double-hearted–then there is division. Where division is present doubt is sure to reign. Christian possession is based upon Christ giving all of His life for all of your sins so that He can give you all of Himself-His Spirit. Paul does not mock when he writes, “and in Him you are made complete” (Colossians 2:10).Why then do so many Christians feel the gap of incompleteness? Because they have not discovered that simplicity of being Christ’s possession.Who told you you were incomplete or missing something? This is the oldest lie from Satan, “did God really say?” For when you eat of it you shall surely be like God…” (Genesis3:5). What is the presupposition here?…that you are incomplete, missing something or damaged or there is something that you deserve that is being withheld from you.
3. You are complete. You can be complete in Christ and in fact, for the born again believer, you are complete. The born-again believer has been redeemed or bought by Christ (1 Corinthians 7:23). Christ didn’t purchase some of your sin, some of your failings or some of your soul. He purchased all of your sins, all of your failings, and all of your soul. He purchased all of your life: past, present and future!
4. Possession is about wholeness (or completeness). A whole (complete) God redeems (purchases) a partial person and makes that person whole. A perfect God purchases an imperfect person to make him whole. Jesus Christ possesses the life of His people, despite the full recognition of those very people.Oswald Chambers writes, “our Lord makes His disciple His very own possession…the desire that comes into the life of a disciple is not one of doing anything for Jesus, be being a perfect delight to Him.”The secret of possession comes when the disciple grasps that Christ has taken up residence in his life through His Spirit. As the disciple learns to yield his natural proclivities to the impressions and promptings of Christ’s Spirit the sense that the disciple is Christ’s prized possession becomes more apparent.

The words of Isaiah, “ …Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (43:1). These words demonstrate the initiative, redemption, possession and delight that God ultimately takes in the lives of those who willingly and obediently daily surrender to His lordship and preeminence in their lives.