Owning Nothing, Possessing ALL

While Jennifer and I were reading through my final draft of “Love the One You’re With,” she asked me a question about a phrase I used.  She will do this for me to make sure I’m conveying my message exactly how I want it.  It’s such a gift!  When writing, it’s easy to believe you’re saying one thing, even as another is being communicated. Because I’ve written it and then read it over and over, unfortunately, I can come to a place where I fill in the blanks in my head. So to have someone do the final proofs with me is invaluable.

She asked about my phrase, “Like a Levitical priest, I am owned and own nothing.” She said, “Would it be better to say, ‘Like a Levitical priest I am owned, and so own nothing.’”  Well, this question made me really have to think this through.  Though being owned and owning something isn’t mutually exclusive, the idea was amazingly thought-provoking!

I thought about the Levite priest.  Because they were owned, they didn’t own anything. Just by deduction, if I am owned, then anything I possess is the possession of another. WHOA! If I am someone Else’s possession, then that includes all that I am and have.  Again, whoa!

In my post, I was saying I am owned and own nothing, but this discussion with Jennifer made me see because I am owned, I own nothing! This is a frightful reality to a materialistic world, which believes “I am what I have.”  But let me take this out another step.  If I am owned by the Owner of ALL, because of His nature, ALL that He has is mine.  You see, the Levites owned nothing for God was their inheritance.  He was their sole possession! And in this, everything was theirs, because He owns everything.

This makes me weak-kneed.  All my clutching for people, property or position, actually limits the reality that I own everything because I am His. So my phrase could read like this:

“I am owned by the Most High
and I own nothing on my own,
but in His ownership of me,
I own everything
because ALL things are His.”

The priests will not have any property or possession of land, for I alone am their special possession.
Ezekiel 44:28 NLT

The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the Lord’s fire offerings; that is their inheritance.
Deuteronomy 18:1 HCSB

We, as sons and daughters of the risen Lord, are a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. We, indwelt of His Spirit, are owned by the Owner and Creator of all. Because we are owned, owning nothing, we possess all. But because we are His, we have everything.

Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
2 Corinthians 6:10 NLT

All things are yours…all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
1 Corinthians 3:21b-23

Psalm 24:1 (everything is God’s)
Roman 1:6 (I’m called to belong)
1 Corinthians 16:19 (I don’t belong to self)
Romans 8:32 (I’ve been given all things)

• If this subject interests you, we have a series by Martha titled In His Hands. I’ve put it on sale for this week for any who’d like to dig deeper into the issue of ownership.  It’s a life changer!