Inheritance

The portion of one’s inheritance is not up to the individual but rather up to the one who has the power to pass on the legacy. This is an obvious truth that so many of us miss when it comes to salvation, why? I suppose our default action always stems from an attitude of self-worth. We put in the effort and therefore we deserve what we get. It’s the hope we have that drives us forward. We set goals and set monies aside to achieve those goals, our end of the year holidays an obvious exponent.

 

Stay with me here, salvation in Christ, ask yourself the question did you choose Him or did He choose you? The hope of the Christian, isn’t it saturated in God’s inheritance? It sure is, it has to be, lets us think this through. As parents, do your children determine their portion of their heritage? Or do we decide who gets what once we pass? Sure, there is often manipulation involved by siblings to get the most from their parents, it’s just the landscape of who we are, we are sinners by nature and therefore we always look out for number one, ourselves. However once we settle on the brilliance of our Saviour’s achievement and commitment to His finished work, everything changes and He receives all the glory. Salvation has nothing to do with us, we must get this through our rebellious independent streaks for it to resonate, we need the Spirit of God to break this suborn shackle in our lives. Until then we will always be looking to help God with what we do in our lives. On the cross the Lord Jesus uttered these words, “it is finished” and that’s exactly what that means.

 

I want you to look at what Charles Spurgeon has to say, not on election per se, but do me a favour, read between the lines to get the full picture of the finished work of the cross. Rest in Christ and give God praise for choosing you, remove your initial involvement from the equation and see the beauty of it all. Sure, we act in response, because He first loved us. But get it the wrong way round and we will always have something to boast about, even if we deny the claim. The Apostle Paul makes this very clear; “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

 

"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul." — Lam_3:24

“It is not "The Lord is partly my portion," nor "The Lord is in my portion"; but he himself makes up the sum total of my soul's inheritance. Within the circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The Lord is my portion. Not his grace merely, nor his love, nor his covenant, but Jehovah himself. He has chosen us for his portion, and we have chosen him for ours. It is true that the Lord must first choose our inheritance for us, or else we shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really called according to the purpose of electing love, we can sing-

 

"Loved of my God for him again
With love intense I burn;
Chosen of him ere time began,
I choose him in return."

 

The Lord is our all-sufficient portion. God fills himself; and if God is all-sufficient in himself, he must be all-sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man's desires. When he dreams that he is satisfied, anon he wakes to the perception that there is somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the horse-leech in his heart cries, "Give, give." But all that we can wish for is to be found in our divine portion, so that we ask, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Well may we "delight ourselves in the Lord" who makes us to drink of the river of his pleasures. Our faith stretches her wings and mounts like an eagle into the heaven of divine love as to her proper dwelling-place. "The lines have fallen to us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage." Let us rejoice in the Lord always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed people, and thus induce them to exclaim, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."” (Charles Spurgeon)

 

 

Signing off

 

 

Tyrone