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"Give me a great thought, that I may live upon it," said a noble man in his dying hour; but even in life there is often need of a great thought to expand and elevate the soul. Such a thought we have in our text.

I. THE WORLD HAS OFTEN USED THESE WORDS TO DECK OUT A GOSPEL OF THE FLESH. Do we not hear men calling out, "All is yours"? Lordship over the earth is yours; therefore seize, rule, and enjoy. And because all is yours, ye must all equally rule and enjoy; therefore demolish the old distinction between masters and servants, rich and poor. We know, indeed, that in the early Apostolic Church there was a short time when the word, "All is yours," was quite literally fulfilled (Acts 2:44), but this state of matters had of necessity very soon to disappear. The providence of God is not uniform, and in different ways will lead different men, setting some as stewards over much, others as stewards over little. But —

II. THE HIGHEST GOOD IS COMMON TO ALL. In the sense of faith, and hope, and love, we say with the apostle, "All is yours; for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." What can be more my own than what I possess in best thoughts and feelings? Name anything in the whole world, and I ask whether it is not mine if it may serve my inner man and serve me for growth in wisdom and grace. Wert thou ever so poor, art thou Christ's, then the whole world must serve thee, for Christ is God's; but wert thou so rich that thou wouldst have to pull down thy barns and build greater, &c., the days of thy riches are soon numbered. Here, however, are riches which moth and rust cannot corrupt and which cannot be counted. "All is yours."

1. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas belong to thee, with their varying gifts. For thee the evangelists write, apostles preach, the sacred poets unfold the depths of their soul. For thee is the exhortation and the promise.

2. The world. Yes, not only the kingdom of grace, but also the kingdom of nature, and the lilies of the field and the birds of the air reveal to thee the glory of God.

3. Life or death. How poor would we be if death, too, did not belong to us. The gospel of the flesh leads its adherents up to the gates of death, and just there death, as it were, calls out, "Nothing is yours!" But art thou Christ's, then "to die is gain."

4. And whosoever can speak thus can also say, "things present or things to come." Many perhaps will say, "Yes, no doubt the present is ours — these misfortunes and sufferings — but where are our joy and peace?" But art thou Christ's, then these times contain a great wealth of Divine exhortations, warnings, appeals, which also belong to thee for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. And if thou yieldest to these, then also the great word belongs to thee: "We are saved by hope," hope in the brighter morning of eternity, when all the children of God will reap with joy, for they bring in the fruits of righteousness.

III. IF THE LORD IS TO BE ABLE TO GIVE US ALL, THEN MUST WE BE ABLE TO GIVE THE LORD ALL. "Lord, we have left all and followed Thee." Luther sang, "Everything may go... To us the crown remaineth." This we too must learn if we would obtain the promise. Let all go that is now thine own; the earthly, selfish desires which hold thee back, because thou thyself holdest them so fast; and many a thing which, though it has had a noble origin, yet turns thee from the riches of God, if thou wilt hold it fast against the will of God. Let go, therefore, the vain dreams of a happiness which knows neither sufferings nor the cross. Perhaps thou hast thyself already experienced the disappointments of this life. There were perhaps some dear ones whom thou couldst truly call thine own! The grave covers them, and why wilt thou still cling to the earthly possession? In the name of Jesus, let it go. For in Him we know that we should not seek the living among the dead; we know that what is sown in corruption will be raised in incorruption, &c. And the better we learn to say from the heart, "Let everything go, to us the crown remaineth," the freer, the more joyous, the richer will we be. For then that dies in us which ought to die, and then that lives in us which ought to live. And then we feel that all is ours.

(Bp. Martensen.)

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KJV: Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

WEB: Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours,