Possessed by God

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

I want to make a banner of this verse and super-impose it on a photograph of a hungry child in Appalachia.
I want to be reminded that the least in our community, for instance, those who sleep under the over-passes on the interstate are still counted by God as His possessions. I want to be challenged that the things I take for granted – my health, my home, my work, my money, and my resources are gifts from God. It’s very easy, in fact, too easy for me to forget about such things, and to neglect to remind myself that everyone is a child of God’s grace.

Everything belongs to God – the world, the nations, and all the people. Not one of us is a self-made person or a free-lance opportunist. We might think that our actions, our deeds, our accomplishments and achievements come naturally because of our abilities; but we delude ourselves if we do not assign all of those qualities and events to the grace of God.

As Jesus so masterly puts it, “Which one of us can add a day to our lives?” We cannot. It all boils down to the fact that we are sustained by the grace of God.

This Sunday, our church people have the opportunity of going on a Hunger Hike, to raise awareness and money for those who go hungry in our town. It’s an event where we can do something positive with our families and friends. It just takes three hours out of one day, out of one whole year. It’s not a lot to ask and if we remember that our time belongs to God, isn’t it something we could look forward to and give it back to the Holy One who regards the hungry and the homeless as His cherished possessions, along with us?

If you want to participate in this year’s Hunger Hike, just call our church office (865-588-5350) and let us know you are coming.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You challenge us everyday to be Christians, but sometimes we casually forget to care. In the place of helping others, we still too often help ourselves. Forgive us for being neglectful; grant us the strength to see and to support those like hungry children in Appalachia and homeless people in our city. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.