I Have Called You By Your Name; You Are Mine

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But now, thus says the Lord who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1

I Can Sometimes Forget Who I Am

I am a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, but I can forget who I am: His bondservant. He owns me. If I think I can be a Christian and not BELONG to Him, I am wrong, wrong, wrong. And He'll show me. Ouch.

He formed me. And smack dab in the middle of my messy rebellion, He redeemed me (bought me) out of the darkness into His glorious light.

This is no group role call. And I'm not sure who heard it (the host of heaven maybe). He called me by my name. This is a person to person transaction.

He says, "You are mine." To me. And He used my name when He did it.

And He says to me, "Do not fear."

I Belong To The One Who Formed Me

Why? When you belong to the one who formed you and everything else in the universe, you get His eternal protection. You get to do His will, to be a part of His plan: His eternal flowchart.

I am His. I belong to the one who formed me, to the one who called me by my name. I AM His.

So when my habits and hang-ups start getting pushy, and I start giving in. I must remember that I am His. I belong to Him.

There are days when it feels like a losing battle to keep the evil off of the porch of my mind. It seems just like a cat sitting out there waiting for the door to crack so it can sneak in and get fed.

The Lord gives me the strength to pick that mangy thing up and throw it out. And the more I do that, the less it wants to come around.

Do not fear. You are mine. I bought you and I have the receipt right here: three nails. And a rolled away stone.

Fear no evil. I am with you. Because I bought you. You are mine. Today. Right now.

Lord, help me remember that I am yours. That my thoughts and behavior are yours. Enlarge my desire to obey you and trust you. To fear not. You bought me with a price I could not afford. 

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

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