Living on Loan

Over the past few days, God has been teaching me several things in the same theme. Usually, when He does that, it means it's time to pay attention.

The gist of it is: I am not my own. Every material thing God gives is only on loan until Jesus returns to restore the heavens and the earth.

Our money.

Our homes.

Our bodies.

Our children.

Our lives.

All of it.

I know, I know, that's already a lot to chew on. Go ahead and take a minute to contemplate if you need it.

"Then God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.'" - Genesis 1:28

"Then the Lord God said, 'It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him." - Genesis 2:18

You see, I was not created for my own delight or purposes. These scriptures come from the creation story in Genesis and they beautifully and succinctly describe the purpose of humanity.

God made us to rule over the earth, and to live for one another.

Now, there's a lot we could unpack in these two verses alone, but that's not what this post is about. We're going to let that lie for now, maybe to revisit another day.

The point is, God didn't make us to pursue our own happiness or to find our own way or to do whatever feels good. He made us with purpose. Both the greater purpose of humanity and your unique, individual purpose.

If you are a redeemed follower of Christ, your life does not belong to you. He bought it at a steep price and He wants it all. Now, that would be a terrifying sentence if we were talking about anyone other than our gracious, loving, tender Savior.

But we are talking about Him. And you can trust Him with your life. I promise He won't abuse you. He won't manipulate you. He only wants to pour His life and love into you.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." - Romans 12:1

Since the Fall, this world has been destined for death. All that is around us will pass away when Jesus returns to make it all new. Like I said in the beginning, that includes everything. In Romans, Paul urges the Church to live as if their body is a living sacrifice.

That means living with the perspective that my body doesn't belong to me, and treating it as such. When you borrow your neighbor's lawn mower, you probably don't kick it or leave it sitting out in the rain to rust, right? If you're a good neighbor, you probably take care of it, return it promptly and maybe even refill the fuel tank before you bring it back. (It's probably obvious that I don't have a lot of experience with lawn mowers, but hopefully you get the point.)

Or if you borrow a book from a friend or the library, I bet you don't highlight and write your own notes in it. You probably don't dog ear the pages. And I bet you're extra careful not to spill your coffee on it.

When you borrow something, you treat it well so you can return it to the person in the same, if not better condition. So, what if we lived like our lives were borrowed?

What if we treated our bodies like they were God's tools, and presented them to Him in better condition than we started. What would it look like to treat your home that way? Or your children?

Everything He gives, He gives for a season. We have a mission to use our time with it wisely, glorifying Him through whatever it is. When the time comes, we will present everything He's given us back to Him for service to His kingdom.

All of our possessions on this earth will pass away. Our bodies will eventually fail us, and then be made new at the redemption of the earth. Our children will grow up and pursue God through their own unique purpose.

"Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away. I want you to be free from the concerns of this life..." - 1 Corinthians 7:31-32a

What would it look like if we lived as if our lives were only on loan? I imagine our lives would look a lot less selfish, offended, argumentative, and dissatisfied. Instead, we may begin to experience the love, joy, and peace of Christ even when someone cuts you off in traffic or says something hurtful.

I encourage you to spend some time in prayer with the Father and ask Him how He wants you to live on loan this week.