The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.

What does this mean, exactly?

Well, it means that the Lord owns the earth, everything on the earth, and every person who lives and breathes. Pretty clear cut.

The environment around me, the air I breathe and the water I drink, belong to the Lord. I live as a steward of this good earth, not the ultimate landowner. As such, I’m to carefully think about how I manipulate the Lord’s creation to my benefit.

Despite my limited thinking, nothing I possess belongs to me. I often act like a toddler who grasps a wooden spoon and proclaims, mine! I cling to goods as my own, but they’re ultimately the Lord’s. Only on loan for a short time.

Every physical place belongs to the Lord.

I once walked through Kalighat Temple in Kolkata, India. Pilgrims journey here to worship Kali, the Hindu goddess of death, supreme of all powers. But even this piece of real estate, dedicated to the service of another god, belongs to the Lord. There exists only one supreme power.

Finally, everyone I meet today belongs to the Lord. Of course, they may belong to a different political party, or a different religion, or a different race, or express themselves in ways differently from myself, or flat out oppose the core of what I believe.

But still, each and every one belongs to the Lord, and I can treat them as such.

Psalm 24 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by John Cameron