Category Archives: Inheritance

Bible, Father, Inheritance, Jesus, Scripture, Works

YOUR REWARD

COLOSSIANS 3:24

“knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

I have mentioned before in my blog about inheriting some money from my dad when he passed away. It’s important to note that all I did to inherit from him was be his son. He didn’t leave any commands for me to follow to get the money. He just left his estate which was divided between me and my three siblings. He truly blessed us.

Paul uses a Greek word in today’s verse that is only used here. It is antapodosis which “refers to the act of giving back or repaying, often in the context of a reward or recompense. It carries the connotation of a just or appropriate return for actions, whether good or bad. In the New Testament, it is used to describe the divine recompense or reward that God will give to individuals based on their deeds.” (Strong’s Lexicon) Let’s talk about that.

APPLICATION

I usually agree with Strong’s, but here I must disagree somewhat. From reading the above description of antapodosis, you might get the impression that you have “do” things to gain your “reward of the inheritance.” That is just not true. If it were, Christianity would be just like other religions which demand certain things to be done to receive “salvation.”

Paul is talking about doing thing to please the Lord in verse 23 and is continuing that thought. These deeds we do are not for salvation. All we have to do to receive salvation, and thereby be qualified to receive this reward, is to believe and receive (John 1:12). Just like my earthly inheritance was based on my sonship with my earthly father, my heavenly reward of my inheritance is based on my sonship with my heavenly father. That’s it!

Today, give thanks for your family ties with Jesus. Perhaps you came out of a religion that was based on works and you’re having a hard time letting go of that. God understands that, but He also wants to free you of the chains of legalism or works. Trust His Word. He is waiting to give you your reward based solely in your trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Father, thank You I do not have to earn Your love or my reward.

Standard
Bible, Eternity, Heirs, Inheritance, Qualifications, Scripture

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS

COLOSSIANS 1:12

“joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

I have had a lot of different types of jobs over my 64 years of life. I had a lawn mowing business with my brother, Tim, when I was young. The qualifications for that job were simple. Know how to crank a mower and sweat, lol. I progressed to service station attendant where I learned how to service cars, change tires and work with customers. Over the years different jobs required different qualifications. Yet it always seemed that the Lord did the qualifying before the job arose.

Paul uses a Greek word for “has qualified” that is only used by him in the New Testament. He only uses it here and in 2 Corinthians 3:6 where he says, “who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The word is hikanoó which implies empowerment from an outside source for a particular role or assignment. God qualifies or makes us adequate. It is not something we can do ourselves.

APPLICATION

In today’s verse, God is qualifying us “to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Wow! That sounds pretty exciting, doesn’t it? This inheritance is spoken of throughout the New Testament. In Romans 8:17 we read, “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

1 Peter 1:4 says this, “and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,” John tells us in Revelation 21:7, “The one who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.”

Three different writers saying the same thing. God has birthed us into His family, thus making us heirs with Christ in His kingdom light. We have been delivered from the domain of darkness. We will reign with Him eternally. And what qualifies us? Nothing we have done. He qualifies us through His Son. Once we receive Jesus as our Savior, we are qualified. We are His. He is ours. That is the highest qualification ever!

O Lord, thank You for qualifying me to be a part of Your eternal dynasty!

Standard
Bible, Heirs, Inheritance, Messiah, Promises, Scripture

HEIRS TO THE PROMISE

GALATIANS 3:29

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

I am my father’s heir. When he passed away, he left his estate to me and my three siblings. All that my dad possessed was promised to us in his will. My younger sister is the executor of the estate and was responsible for dividing it according to the will. She was to ensure my dad’s “promises” to us were fulfilled. But they were not her promises. They were my dad’s.

In today’s verse, Paul tells us that Abraham was given a promise – that through him all the world would be blessed. Jesus was the fulfillment of that promise. Abraham was not the promise, nor did he control the promise. He was simply an instrument God chose to use to deliver the promise of the Messiah. And now, as believers in Christ, we are heirs to that same promise.

APPLICATION

What do you do with an inheritance? Some people blow it within days or weeks. Others stash it away for a rainy day. The inheritance we receive through Jesus is eternal. You can’t much better than that. In Romans 8:16-17, Paul gives us a great glimpse at this. “16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Colossians 3:24 also gives us a word on this inheritance. “…knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” So, the question has to be asked. What will you do with your inheritance? You have been promised eternal life through Jesus. Are you going to squirrel that promise away and hide it or are you going to share it?

Take your promise and give it away. When you do you will notice your promise is still there. Sharing the promise of eternal life that you possess does not diminish it one bit. In fact, I think it makes it more. By doing that you are helping to build the kingdom. You are offering that precious promise so that others can join God’s family. Share yours today.

Father, give me opportunities today to share Your promise with someone. 

Standard
Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Eternity, Heaven, Inheritance, Scripture, Treasures

ALL THESE THINGS

ZECHARIAH 8:12

“‘“For there will be the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people all these things as an inheritance.”’”

When my mom and dad had both passed into their eternal glory, whatever they possessed on this earth belonged to their offspring, me and my three siblings. We divided all their things among us. Why? Because my dad had put that in his will. He instructed us how to divide his earthly possessions. He had already decided this before he died. It was a legal decision.

Why do I bring that up? Because in today’s verse, God tells the people what their inheritance is going to be. He promised them the seed of peace, fruitful vines, productive lands and abundant rains (dew). That all sounds great, doesn’t it? But notice something. It may have slipped past you. He says, “the seed of peace.” There is a definite article there. THE seed of peace. God is pointing ahead to the Messiah, His Son, who would come and bring peace to mankind.

APPLICATION

We have an inheritance in the Lord also. We are told as much in Romans 8:14-17. “14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

The difference between my inheritance from my dad and from God is huge. I had to divide my dad’s inheritance with my siblings. But with God, I am a fellow heir or a joint-heir, which means I get to enjoy all the inheritance equally with His Son. That’s a big difference. I get to enjoy all of heaven, not just my little section. All His riches belong to me, along with all believers.

So, don’t think you are lacking in your inheritance. God has a huge inheritance waiting for you. The question is if you are deserving of it. Are you His child? If you are, you are set. If you are not, you will not receive any of it. Do you want to inherit heaven? Come to Him today.

I cannot wait to see Your face, Lord, and to experience all You have waiting for me.

Standard
Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Death, Favor, Inheritance, Portion, Scripture

HIS PORTION

ZECHARIAH 2:12

“And the LORD will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”

When my dad died, my three siblings and I received a portion of his inheritance. It was divided four ways – each getting an equal share. My dad was not a rich man, but he left each of us quite a blessing. The inheritance was nice, but I had much rather kept my dad around for many more years.

The angel who is talking to Zechariah continues on in verse 12 where he tells him that the LORD has chosen Judah as His portion. What does that mean? The Hebrew word used there means just that. It means “part,” or “portion,” or inheritance. Does God need an inheritance? I don’t think so. Let’s just stick with “portion.” The angel is saying Judah/Jerusalem belong to Him. God protects what is His.

APPLICATION

I love what Psalm 73:26 says. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” The Hebrew word for “portion” here is the same word used in Zechariah 2:12. We are claiming God as our inheritance, our portion. But that requires a little event to happen. Let me explain.

Just like I could not inherit my part of my dad’s estate until he died, I could not inherit my inheritance in Christ until He died on that cross. And conversely, I have to die to inherit it. Weird, huh? Not really. I have to give up who I was before to become what I will be in Him. My old self is dead. My new self lives on in Jesus.

Wow! If you think too hard about this, your mind will explode. I have learned to just accept this on faith. He is my portion. He is what I am living and dying for. Nothing else is as important. One day I will see His face. One day I will become the possessor of what He has promised me. Remember, in John 14:2 He said He was going to prepare a place for us. Boy, I can’t wait to see my room!

Father, I know I am Your portion, but You are my portion as well. All I have belongs to you, and all You have belongs to me.

Standard
Advocate, Allegiance, Bible, Blessing, Coveting, Encouragement, Gifts, God's Will, Inheritance, Promises, Scripture

A REMINDER

MICAH 6:4

“Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

I am just like every other man, I guess. When I do something around the house like vacuuming or emptying the dishwasher, I make a point to tell my wife what I have done. I want to remind her just how good a husband she has, lol. Seriously though, we do that. We have to remind folks of our good deeds, as if that brings us any more honor. It doesn’t.

God, however, is simply reminding His children what He had done for them. They were slaves for 400 years in Egypt, but He sent a deliverer, Moses. He used Moses, Aaron and Miriam – these three siblings – to deliver His people from slavery. Had they really forgotten that. Sure, they repeated the history to themselves and their children, but did they really realize what He had done for them?

APPLICATION

I want you to take a minute to think of all the things God has done for you. You probably thanked Him at the time, but have you done that lately? Go ahead – I’ll wait. Done? Okay, make a list of these things. As you remember them through the day, add them to your list. You may be amazed as you begin to record these just how much God has done for you.

To just name a few in my life: 1) my birth into a good home, 2) my home church who taught me about Jesus, 3) my salvation at age 16, 4) my wife of almost 37 years, 5) my children, 6) my son-in-law and daughter-in-law, and 7) my grandchildren. These are a few of my favorite things, to borrow a line from Julie Andrews.

God has blessed us in so many ways. We tend to forget those things. Let us always be thankful for all He has done for us. It would not hurt us to have a thanksgiving meal more than once per year, huh? Every day should be a thanksgiving day. Thank You, Lord.

“And I’m forever grateful to You. I’m forever grateful for the cross. I’m forever grateful to You that You came to seek and save the lost.” (from the song “I’m Forever Grateful”)

Standard
Bible, Blessing, Contentment, Coveting, Disciplemaking, Discipline, Encouragement, Gifts, God's Will, Greed, Inheritance, Jealousy, Modeling, Scripture, Seeking

COVETING

MICAH 2:2

“They covet fields, so they seize them; and houses, so they take them. They exploit a man and his house, a person and his inheritance.

I was sitting with my wife the other night in our family room. I looked around at our home. It’s a nice two-story townhouse with plenty of room, more than we need now. I turned to her and said, “We are so blessed, you know? Just look where we live. God has given us so many blessings.”

These people Micah is confronting with God’s message are coveters. What does that mean? It means they desired these things greatly, so much so that they stole them. They even lied and devised ways to steal a man’s inheritance, thus robbing his children as well. These were unscrupulous people.

APPLICATION

I did not tell you where I live to make you covetous, but I am sure some people would look at where I live and covet it. To be honest, I do not deserve it. God provided this home for us. As I drive around my city of Chattanooga, TN, there are many far beautiful homes than mine. I do not have a covetous bone in my body for those homes. I am content where I am and so grateful.

That is what I want you to see in today’s verse. These people were not grateful at all for what they had. They wanted more and more. Are you that way? Are you not content? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:12, “I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” That should be our heart each and every day.

O Lord, thank You for all the blessings in my life. I am content with what I have and forever grateful. 

Standard
Asking, Battles, Bible, Consequences, Deceit, Devil, Encouragement, Following, Inheritance, Judgment, Scripture

OUT OF REACH

AMOS 8:12

“People will stagger from sea to sea and from the north even to the east; they will roam about to seek the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.”

Nothing is much more frustrating than not being able to find something. Recently I misplaced a metal box in which I keep our important documents. I knew where I had last seen it, but it wasn’t there. Of course, like most men, I thought my wife had moved it. Low and behold, it was right where I put it – in my closet on the floor.

I found my box, but the Israelites would not find the word of God. The Lord said through Amos that they would look “from sea to sea and from the north even to the east;…but they will not find it.” That “it” isn’t in the text, but it refers to the word of God. They just couldn’t find it or hear it. How sad!

APPLICATION

Lost and found! In the church where I served there is a box of lost items. We keep these items for a period of time, and if they are not claimed within a few months, we donate them to a charity. Some people have lost the Word of God and don’t even know it. They go on with life without contemplating the significance of their loss.

The Word of God is so important for our Christian walk. We can’t navigate the trials of this life without it. You can’t wait until you need it to pull it out and think that’s going to work. You need to equip yourself with the Word through memorization and meditation, so you can combat the evil one on a daily basis.

I am thankful for the verses I have memorized. I desire so much more. I wish I could just download the entire Bible to a memory chip in my brain. That’s not possible (yet). But I can work diligently at memorizing so I will always have a portion of God’s Word available to me. Is that true for you?

Father God, I praise You for Your Word. I need it every day in my life in order to face the trials that come my way.

Standard
Bible, Blessing, Encouragement, Inheritance, Money, Protection, Scripture, Treasures

SILVER AND GOLD

JOEL 3:5

“Since you have taken My silver and My gold, brought My precious treasures to your temples,”

Everything that I have belongs to the Lord. Every shirt, chair, car, etc. I learned a while back to give it all to Him. By doing so, they are His responsibility, not mine. So, when something breaks or has to be replaced, I tell the Lord that He needs to replace His item. He has been faithful to do that for all these years.

Philistia had come in and robbed the people of their silver and gold. At this time, they had not touched the silver and gold of the temple. He is referring to the wealth of the people which had been taken away. Their wealth belonged to the Lord. Taking it was taking from Him. The Philistines took it and brought it to their temples and dedicated it to their Gods. The Lord was not happy about that.

APPLICATION

What are your “robbing” the Lord of right now? Don’t you realize that all you have belongs to the Lord. As a believer, we need to dedicate it all to Him. We don’t have the right to do with as we wish. Only He does. So, if He chooses to take it away, we have to be okay with this. If He chooses to bless us with more, that’s His choice as well.

Take a moment and look at all you have. Say a prayer of dedication for it all. This releases you from having to worry about your stuff. God will protect His stuff a lot better than you can. He can replace things easier than you can. Silver and gold are like pennies to Him. Trust Him with it.

I think I have told the story of our washing machine while we lived in Florida. To make this short, it died and needed replacing. I went to the Lord and said, “It’s yours, God. You know our need. I trust You to get us a new one.” Within the week, someone gave us a new matching set. Ain’t God good?

Thank You, Lord, for blessing me with all You have given me. I place it all in Your hands.

Standard
Abiding, Advocate, Bible, Blessing, Encouragement, God's Will, Inheritance, Praise, Scripture

RESTORED FORTUNES

JOEL 3:1

“For behold, in those days and at that time, When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem.”

We have probably all heard stories of people who got fortunes restored to them after years of waiting. Perhaps they weren’t even aware of the fortunes out there until they appeared. There’s actually a website you can go to for each state in the U.S. to search and see if you have money coming to you that you forgot about from a closed bank account or an old deposit. Getting those fortunes are exciting.

Can you imagine how excited Judah and Jerusalem were to hear these words? They had been overrun by their enemies. They had lost all they had. And now, to hear from Joel that the Lord was going to restore it – wow! I bet they were giddy. I bet they were so thankful. It’s amazing what the Lord can do for us when we are surrendered.

APPLICATION

You may not have millions of dollars coming to you, but the Lord is still in the restoring business. When we have crashed and burned our lives, the Lord can take that and restore it. Better yet, He makes it so much better than it used to be. But we have to surrender that life to Him. The Lord can’t restore what not is in His hands.

Are you struggling today? Is your life upside down? Perhaps you think there is no way out. I’ve got great news for you. There is a way out. God can take your crumpled life and make it new. He can give you a purpose for living. He can give you the promise of eternal life with Him. Will you surrender today? Maybe you are a believer, and you’ve just gotten sidetracked. Come back to Him. He can restore you as well.

When I came to Christ, I was headed down the wrong road fast. I don’t need to go into all that I was doing. Let’s just say it did not please the Lord. But when I came to that point of surrender on July 31, 1977, my life changed completely. I reversed directions. He restored me to a new life in Christ. I had a purpose for living. I am so grateful for His restoration in my life.

O God, You are the Great Restorer. You have given me a new life in Christ to live to glorify You. Thank You!

Standard