Nine-Tenths of the Law

There’s an old adage that says possession is nine-tenths of the law. The heart behind the phrase is that the person in possession of an object has a distinctive advantage over another person in retaining that object. For the last three centuries this has been the argument for many people to keep or not return something that is currently in their possession. We’ve become obsessed with acquiring, retaining, and purchasing. So much so that we need extra storage units, sheds, and garages to hold all the extra possessions we’ve retained over the years. The same is true when we look at our finances. Trust funds, IRAs, 401(k), 529, and any other combinations of letters and numbers to secure a future where we have money to live for the remainder of our days. To take it one step further, we each have a special set of skills that we only use when necessary, for work, or the rare occasion to help out a friend.

On the surface, there isn’t anything wrong with all of these things. We should plan for the future. We should use our skills when necessary. There isn’t anything wrong with needing more storage to have a comfortable life. The reality is that it comes down to the mindset we have about it all. The modern world tells us to claim our possessions and to hold onto them. It’s mine anyway, right? But what if it never was in the first place. Sure our names are on it. We may even benefit from it during our lifetime. But was it ever ours to begin with? What if it all belonged to someone else before it ever reached your hands?

The psalmist puts it this way, for the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:3-5 NIV). The truth of the matter is that no matter what is in our name or held in our possession, it all belongs to someone else. God created all things and in His hands, He holds it all together. And for the time we have on this earth, we’ve been given an opportunity to care for, hold on to, and manage the things in our purview. If you had to ask yourself today, how have you been managing all that’s been put before you? Are you coming before the Living God with an open hand ready to receive what He has for you? If possession is nine-tenths of the law, then all that we are and all that we have is in the possession of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And out of His possession, we’ve been granted an opportunity to care for it with the time we have left. How are you managing that? With an open hand or a closed fist?