September 18
The First Born
"But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever."
Hannah had waited for so long to have a child. She prayed faithfully for years, giving God no rest until He heard her cry. He answered with a son, a child that He would use to in a mighty way to speak to His people. He was set apart as holy unto the Lord. He was not Hannah’s son, he was the Lord’s and she honored that truth by giving him back to God as soon as he was old enough to be weaned. Can you imagine giving up your child and walking away allowing someone else to raise them? As a mother my heart stops at the thought of such a sacrifice. Yet, are our children ever ours to begin with?
Hannah knew what so many of us have failed to understand when it comes to our children; we have no ownership rights because all belongs to the Lord. We are but stewards of all that He allows us to have including our children. So when it came time for Hannah to release her child to the prophet, her heart had absolute peace because she never claimed ownership of him to begin with. We cannot place our brand upon something that does not belong to us, that would be thievery.
The Lord has blessed me with two beautiful daughters; Stephanie, my first born and Krissy my baby. They are both grown, married and have children of their own. Even after all these years, I still have to remind myself that they are not mine but His! God put His claim upon them long before they took their first breath. We have no ownership in this life but we do have a stewardship; an accountability coming for all God has placed within our sphere of influence.
Whether you have children or not precious one, whatever God has allowed you to have we must remind ourselves daily that we are only stewards. God is the owner of it all. Ownership rights are never ours to exercise because we have none. It’s very easy to build our kingdoms, brand our names upon ministries and people when in reality, they were never ours to begin with. We are His creation beloved who have been allowed to take care of God’s property. We hold no titles to anything and the only rights we have are those God affords us. Have you given to God what rightfully belongs to Him or have you claimed it for yourself?
You are Owner of All.
Pearls of Grace is a book of devotions for the entire year, including a read through the Bible in a year calendar, broken down for every day. Beautifully written with encouraging words of hope and empowering words of joy and strength for every woman. Pam draws from the truth and richness of God's Word and gives real life examples in her down to earth style. A must have in your library, click here for more information.
For more from Pam Jenkins and Jabbok Ministries, please visit www.jabbokministries.com!
Listen to Pam Jenkins's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
