1 John 5:14-21 / John 3:22-30
While we can say that we have belongings and possessions, we can't say that they belong totally to us.
In the passing world, we know that when we have to pass over from this life to the next, we will have to leave all these belongings and possessions behind.
So we must be always aware that there is really nothing that we can claim to be our own.
But in the gospel, John the Baptist has this to say: A man can lay claim only to what is given him from heaven.
John the Baptist was clear as to who he was and what he had to do.
He was not going to pretend to be the Christ or claim any credit for what he was doing.
We too have nothing to claim as truly our own.
But we can only claim for God's mercy and compassion and forgiveness.
We can be confident that if we ask Jesus for mercy, compassion and forgiveness, He will grant it to us.
Jesus came to save us. But we also need to ask Him to save us in order to claim our salvation.