They will not remain in the Lord’s land;
    Ephraim will return to Egypt
    and eat unclean food in Assyria.
Hosea 9:3 (NIV)

I was the youngest of four children. I’m grateful to say that we were never in need as children. That said, there wasn’t a lot of extra from an affluence perspective. Early on, I developed a behavioral pattern with both money and things. I developed a possessive attitude towards “my stuff.” I also tended to spend any money I acquired as quickly as possible on things that provided immediate pleasure but had little long-term value.

Over a lifetime as a disciple of Jesus, I’ve gone through major transformation in my thoughts and behaviors towards both money and things. It’s impossible for me to be obedient to Jesus’ teachings and not address matters of money and things. Jesus spoke more about money and treasure than almost anything else.

One of the things that has slowly transformed my thoughts and behaviors is the realization that nothing I have is really mine. The Great Story reveals Jesus as the “Alpha and Omega.” He is the “alpha-point” through whom creation flows. He is the “omega-point” to whom all things return. All that I am blessed to have on this earthly journey is ultimately from the Alpha, and ultimately it will return to the Omega. The question is simply how I will steward those things with which I have been blessed by God to have on loan on this brief earthly sojourn? Will I be generous or miserly? Will I treasure the possession or treasure the people with whom I can bless with it? Will I greedily hoard in the illusion it’s mine, or will I participate with the Alpha in the generous, life-giving flow of all things?

In today’s chapter, the ancient prophet Hosea makes a rather stunning statement about his people: “They will not remain in the Lord’s land.” The Great Story clearly states that the land of Canaan was intended to be given as a blessing to Abraham’s descendants so that “all of the nations of the earth will be blessed.” The source was God. The intention was a life-giving flow of blessing to all nations from a people who understood the source and their place in the flow of the life and blessing. Part of that understanding was that the land was ultimately God’s.

Since the latest war about this land broke out just weeks ago, Wendy and I have been doing a lot of reading and listening regarding both sides’ “claim” to this land. Those claims both reference Abraham. The Jewish people trace their lineage and history in the land back to Abraham through Abraham’s son, Isaac. The Arab muslims trace their lineage and claims to the land back to Abraham through his son, Ishmael (Osama Bin Laden references this belief in his “Letter to America”). I can’t help but mourn the fact that what God meant to be a blessing to all nations continues to be warped by evil, and the evil angels of our nature, into a fratricidal conflict of peoples that has raged for thousands of years.

In some ways, this is not unique. I have witnessed the same types of destructive conflict over family farms here in Iowa. The same deep seeded hatred between siblings. The same lust to possess the land at all cost giving birth to generations of greed, hatred, anger, rage, and even violence. Such toxic and spiritually suicidal thoughts and actions just for the illusion that one can actually possess something that flowed from the Alpha and will flow back to the Omega.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself bringing thoughts of international politics and diplomacy back down to a personal level. There is little I can practically do about the circumstances and situation that continue to rage in the Lord’s land as they have for thousands of years. King David wrote in his lyrics to Psalm 122 to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” I will continue to do so.

What I can do, however, is continue to personally learn and apply the spiritual lessons Jesus continues to teach me. All that I supposedly and physically possess on this earthly journey, including land, is illusory from the eternal perspective of the Kingdom of God. The more I spiritually, emotionally, and physically cling to earthly possessions that will rot or pass on to be possessed by others, the less room there is in my mind, heart, and spirit for the eternal things of God’s Spirit.

The further I get in my spiritual journey, the more I embrace the spiritual reality that “my stuff” is actually all “God’s stuff.” I don’t possess things but rather steward blessings. I’m not to cling or horde but to release and let flow. I confess I’m not perfect, but I am growing.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.