Numbers 3:13 “For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.” This is comforting and a little concerning. While this applied to Israel, it also applies to christians. When we come to Christ, He freely gives salvation, but it is required that we submit to Him as Lord. If we have no intention of doing what He says, then we aren’t His child. What does it mean that we belong to God? Several things. We are to keep the Ten Commandments. We are to go to church and to be generous. We are also to tell others about Jesus. We have a living relationship with Him, so we are to follow His leading in our daily lives. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Another version ends with “And He will direct Your paths.” As situations arise, we are to ask Him about them. “Lord, what would You have me do?” He’ll answer. Sometimes He will open a door. Other times He’ll change an attitude, and so on. If we don’t know His love and goodness, this step is worrisome. Our minds can conjure up plenty of things that we would imagine He could ask. There’s the dare. “If you truly loved God, you would do …”. In general, God doesn’t work that way. While He did test Abraham with sacrificing His son, there isn’t a “test of the day”. That wouldn’t be loving. He isn’t seeking to embarrass us. I’ve heard it said that “the Holy Spirit is a gentleman”. That’s a good way to look at it. While He’s much more than that, it’s a good base to judge things. We have the scriptures, so we compare those impressions to them. A more comforting image of belonging to God is Psalm 23. “The Lord is our Shepherd”. He loves those sheep. He won’t say, “if you love me, you’ll cross that rapid stream.” It sounds ridiculous. So, also, He won’t play those mind games with us. Going through it shows us the benefits of the relationship. “I shall not want.” He will satisy our needs. There is a wonderful contentment with Him. “He leads me besides the still waters.” He will guide us in safety. If there are troubled times, He’s with us. “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” The hook of His staff can guide and the rod can get our attention. This is painful in the moment, but His leading is the best. “Thou prepareth a table before me in the presence of my enemies”. He wants to honor us and giving credit to Him. We have a need for respect. He fills that. “Thou anointeth my head with oil, my cup overfloweth.” Our hearts and lives become full. To be owned by The Lord is a wonderful thing. Thank You, God, for Your guidance and that which we become and for Your love.