God's Cow Died

There is a story of a man surprised with the anonymous gift of two cows. He and his young wife, who were newly married and starting up a farm considered this such an incredible blessing, that they decided to give one of the cows back to God. They decided that they would sell one of the cows and give the money to the church. Before they had decided which of the cows they would be selling, both of the cows got sick. That night, the man came in from the barn looking worn out and exhausted. "What's wrong?" his wife asked.
"Well, honey," he replied, "God's cow died."

Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills." About a month ago, my Pastor pointed out in his sermon that cows are, and historically have been domestic animals. Now please don't say No, duh! Think about it, in this verse God is saying that the animals of the forest, the wild animals that no one claims as their own, are His. And He is also saying that the cattle, the domestic animals that we consider to be ours, and say belong to us, are His. Having driven across Oklahoma, Wyoming, and western Kansas on road trips, I've gained a greater appreciation for the idea of the cattle on a thousand hills. Driving across vast nothingness and seeing all those cows, I acknowledged that these animals were God's. It's pretty easy to acknowledge that the hundreds of cattle that "belong" to a rancher in Wyoming, whom I never have and probably never will meet, belong to God. I have friends who are dairy farmers, and it's easy enough to say that their cows belong to God. It's very easy to say that all the wild animals belong to God. It's pretty easy to say that my family's two dogs belong to God, most days I would even go so far as to say, He can keep them! But I don't have cows. I'll acknowledge that something that is someone else's belongs to God, and that wild animals belong to God, and that something I could easily do without (so sorry, puppies) belong to God, but do I freely acknowledge that everything I have belongs to God?

. . . My time . . . . my things. . . . my accomplishments . . . . my goals . . . . my friends . . . .

I cry out "Mine! Mine! Mine!" When I should be crying out to God, "Yours, Yours, Yours!"

Remember how Jesus talks about taxes and He says, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's?" Why does the coin belong to Caesar? Because Caesar made it (indirectly) and it is stamped with his image. So. . . . What belongs to God, then? What He has made and what is stamped with His image.

That would be us. That would be me.

We are called to give to God what is God's. That means that we are called to give ourselves and everything that we claim as our own to God. We are called to total surrender.

Total surrender, not holding anything back. My heart, my mind, my belongings, my time, my relationships. Everything to which I would be inclined to attach the word "mine,"is really God's. That means I cannot claim for myself any of my achievements, even the "good, Christian" ones. Matthew 5:16 tells us to let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and praise our Father in heaven. In Philippians 1:11, Paul's prayer for the church is that they will be filled with the fruit of righteousness to the glory and praise of God. We are never told to let our light shine and be filled with the fruit of righteousness so that others can see that we are good people.

The young farmer never acknowledged that both the cows that he had been given were already God's. Yes, God's cow died, but the cow that lived was God's, too.

So often I don't acknowledge that all I have and all I am are already God's, My time, my things, my friendships, my victories, and my defeats. The things over which I have no control, and the things that I call my own. They are already God's. I simply choose whether or not I surrender to Him.