Our Spiritual Inheritance
O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance. Psalm 16:5-6
Psalm 16 was written when David was running from King Saul. David had been welcomed into Saul’s house, but now Saul had turned against him and wanted to kill him. Although it did not make sense for Saul to turn against David, God had a purpose. If Saul had willingly handed the kingdom over to David, David would have accepted it as from Saul. But because Saul had turned against him, inheriting the kingdom could only come from God. It was God’s will. God had anointed David to be king of Israel many years before and would fulfill that promise in His sovereignty, despite the circumstances David found himself in. David accepted what God had for him. He realized the Lord was his true inheritance and he was satisfied with where the lines had fallen, the boundaries of his life.
I did not choose the life I have, yet the lines have fallen in a pleasant place because Jesus is here with me inside the boundaries of my life. I accept it with the grace God has given me and look to Him for my inheritance, my portion, my cup. An inheritance, or legacy, is something handed down from ancestors and those who receive it have ownership by birthright. As children of God, we have a birthright to a spiritual legacy and we can pass that legacy on to others as we invite them into the kingdom of light and encourage them to grow.
We inherit characteristics from our parents and we also inherit characteristics from God as His children. All I am, all I am capable of becoming, all that I possess, inward and outward, the country I was born in, the family I was born to, the opportunities of life that come my way – all is my inheritance and all is from God. And all that He has is available to me as much as I am able to receive: His wisdom, His guidance, His provision, His mercy and grace and faithfulness and peace and comfort and…
In the Old Testament it was not a sign of greed to request your inheritance, because it had already been promised by your position in the family. It was already yours. Only if you had land could you have a home, a family, a source of income. To request your inheritance was to step out in faith. In the same manner we should continually ask God for our spiritual inheritance – blessing, wisdom, love, understanding; the things that come only from Him, never from this world.
Take a moment to list some of the spiritual blessings you have inherited from God, and thank Him for each one, starting with eternal life. Then take a few moments to think of the spiritual attributes and promises you wish to inherit and list them as well. Now take some time to pray and ask Him to bring them into your life.
Psalm 16 was written when David was running from King Saul. David had been welcomed into Saul’s house, but now Saul had turned against him and wanted to kill him. Although it did not make sense for Saul to turn against David, God had a purpose. If Saul had willingly handed the kingdom over to David, David would have accepted it as from Saul. But because Saul had turned against him, inheriting the kingdom could only come from God. It was God’s will. God had anointed David to be king of Israel many years before and would fulfill that promise in His sovereignty, despite the circumstances David found himself in. David accepted what God had for him. He realized the Lord was his true inheritance and he was satisfied with where the lines had fallen, the boundaries of his life.
I did not choose the life I have, yet the lines have fallen in a pleasant place because Jesus is here with me inside the boundaries of my life. I accept it with the grace God has given me and look to Him for my inheritance, my portion, my cup. An inheritance, or legacy, is something handed down from ancestors and those who receive it have ownership by birthright. As children of God, we have a birthright to a spiritual legacy and we can pass that legacy on to others as we invite them into the kingdom of light and encourage them to grow.
We inherit characteristics from our parents and we also inherit characteristics from God as His children. All I am, all I am capable of becoming, all that I possess, inward and outward, the country I was born in, the family I was born to, the opportunities of life that come my way – all is my inheritance and all is from God. And all that He has is available to me as much as I am able to receive: His wisdom, His guidance, His provision, His mercy and grace and faithfulness and peace and comfort and…
In the Old Testament it was not a sign of greed to request your inheritance, because it had already been promised by your position in the family. It was already yours. Only if you had land could you have a home, a family, a source of income. To request your inheritance was to step out in faith. In the same manner we should continually ask God for our spiritual inheritance – blessing, wisdom, love, understanding; the things that come only from Him, never from this world.
Take a moment to list some of the spiritual blessings you have inherited from God, and thank Him for each one, starting with eternal life. Then take a few moments to think of the spiritual attributes and promises you wish to inherit and list them as well. Now take some time to pray and ask Him to bring them into your life.