Today I'm reading....

This morning I'm reading in Acts 27, and I come to this verse.....

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Act 27:23 "For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me,"

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I noticed two things from this verse, but first let me set the stage for Paul's comments-

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Paul is on a ship heading for Rome to appear before Caesar. He's a prisoner. The ship has been adrift in a severe storm for nearly two weeks. The crew and passengers have given up hope. They all anticipate that this is the end.

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In the midst of this Paul makes this statement of faith. What made his statement so amazing is not just the circumstances, but his perspective on his life in the midst of a time of hopelessness for those around him.

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Here's what I saw in Paul's brief testimony- 1. He belongs to God, and 2. because of #1 he serves God. This is slave language. This is a declaration of ownership, obedience and dependence, but it's also a statement of purpose...because I belong to God and serve him my life is his to do with as he pleases. It's a declaration that whatever happens to me, wherever I go, whatever I do...I'm his, and because I'm his I serve him where I am....even on a sinking ship.

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So, I ask myself this- Do I see my life as one belonging to God? And, do I serve him because of that? It's an ownership issue....

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1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

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I'm not my own, I belong to someone else. Do I believe that? And if so, do I live like it? I have to constantly remember that it's not all about me....it's all about HIM.