Before my mother-in-law died, she made her son and daughter joint owners of everything she had. Because of her forethought, her estate was settled in less than a month without much legal help.
For some reason, my father didn’t like the idea of joint ownership so his estate was in his name only, or listed as “tenants in common” with our mother. He left half of some of it to her, and the remainder to his children, two of whom were executors. Because of his decisions, the courts took more than two years to figure out that everything was on the up and up. A lawyer wound up with a big chunk.
I doubt this is why God chose joint ownership over tenants in common, but these two examples provide interesting comparisons concerning my inheritance from God.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:16–17)
In these verses, the term “fellow heirs” could also be translated as “joint heirs.” Tenants-in-common mean that each owns half — joint ownership means that each own all. That is, all of whatever belongs to Christ belongs to all of His children.
While not completely parallel, the Bible’s use of these legal terms helps me understand more of what Christ’s death means. Yes, He died for my sin so that I do not have to bear its penalty, but He also died that I might inherit a legacy.
Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. (Hebrews 9:15–17, italics for emphasis)
I’m not good with legal talk, but I understand from this that I could not receive this inheritance from God unless God died. This death of God the Son happened that I might be “justified by his grace (and) become an heir according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).
While the Bible speaks of this inheritance mainly as eternal life, those verses from Romans 8 says we are joint heirs meaning ALL that is Christ’s is ours — His eternal life and His glory, but also His suffering. I like the idea of inheriting what belongs to Jesus, but am not too excited about this part of my inheritance. However, this isn’t about being crucified, even though that could happen. It is more about the things Jesus suffered because He was holy and a rebuke to the lives of those around Him. People were convicted of their own unholy lives. He plainly told them that their religious activities were tainted. In fact, from the most devout to the worst sinners, Jesus says all of us fall short. We cannot earn or deserve anything from God. Everyone needs His forgiveness and new life or we will perish.
Tell people that and see what happens. Oh, some will take it eagerly, but many will give anything from a blank stare to physical abuse. Jesus suffered this entire range of response. People followed Him for the wrong reasons, laughed at and mocked Him, and questioned all He did. His disciples pledged their allegiance, but eventually abandoned Him. He suffered everything any human can suffer, but never retaliated or stood up for Himself. Being the Son of God was not all roses, nor is being a child of God. As a joint heir with Jesus, I have His life and will share in His glory, but I will suffer some of the things He suffered, including being misunderstood, laughed at, and ignored.
Therein lies the grace of God. Rarely do His children suffer ALL that Jesus suffered. If we are joint heirs, it seems we should, but He does not give us that burden. He gives all of those benefits described as our eternal inheritance, but for most, the suffering side of it is shared in smaller ways.
***************
Lord, just as I cannot imagine the fullness of Your glory, I also cannot imagine the fullness of Your suffering. My share is minuscule compared to what You endured for my sake. I’m so glad that You share with me that ability to keep my eyes on the outcome. I can “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of my faith” because, “for the joy that was set before You, You endured the cross, despised the shame. . . .” Now Your are “seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2, personalized). Because You fully share all You have with me, I am also able to think about the joy and glory that are coming. That ability is also my inheritance, but the best of Your legacy to me is simply You and all that You are.
One encouragement came unexpectedly. About a week ago, I went to a local store that sells letters. I wanted to put a word on the wall above my desk as a reminder. The clerk at the counter told me they didn’t stock the whole alphabet in all available styles for obvious reasons so I had to order them. After settling on the design from their online catalog, he asked which letters I wanted. I said, “P, R, A, Y.”
He said, “As unto the Lord?”
I replied, “Yes, I need all the reminders and encouragement I can get to keep at it.”
He was a Christian. We had a good conversation about God and about prayer. He said helpful things to me including one that rang in my ears all week, “Remember, it always seems darkest before dawn.”
A cliché perhaps, but God used it to encourage me. Then in today’s devotional reading He gives me the same message from His Word.
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Psalm 30:4–5)
I can praise God, for several reasons. These verses say that He eventually brings joy after a tough spell, but they also say that God is holy. That means there is no mean streak in Him. The negative stuff that happens in my life are tools in His hands for my good.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. . . . (Romans 8:28–29, italics for emphasis)
God’s plan is that I am like Jesus. Knowing that helps me trust Him and be much more cooperative when bad news and battles come my way.
Sometimes though, as suggested in Psalm 30, God is angry. I know that sin in my life is the only possible cause. He is angry that I should let it in, when in Christ He has given me all that I need to overcome it. Yet even with this, His anger does not last very long. He also provided forgiveness and cleansing from sin, so when I confess it to Him, He is faithful to keep those promises. This is also because of the saving work of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am His child, a saint of God because of Jesus.
**********************
Lord, weeping, even confusion and a sense of darkness might hang around for a little while, but You are a God of good news, joy, clarity and light. You want me to walk with You knowing that when the sense of Your goodness and presence is missing, “this too shall pass.” Faith believes what You say, regardless of circumstances that seem to say otherwise. While I do not yet perceive dawn’s first glow, Your joy hovers at the edges of my troubles anyway. It reminds me of the difference between what is now and what is forever. For that and for Jesus, I sing praises to You and give thanks.
May 12, 2011 (re-posted, Blogger malfunction)
If I could chronicle the times in my life that I was courageous, what would I select? As a small child, I battled a life-threatening illness. I heard people say that I was brave, but I had no idea why they said so. Being oblivious to danger is not courage.
Later, when divorced from an unfaithful and alcoholic man, some might say that took courage. From my perspective, it was an escape. I was not strong enough to work through and overcome these problems. Running away is not courage either.
When I became a Christian, I enthusiastically shared my faith with everyone, whether they wanted to hear it or not. Most of my friends were not interested and most of them vanished. Action without discernment is not very courageous either.
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7–9)
The biblical definition of courage is more about obedience than bravado or lack of fear. In my flesh, I’m a big coward, but when the Spirit of God is in charge, something happens that is not fully explained in this text. Courage and obedience are close cousins.
For instance, obedience can happen with resignation and a sense of duty. This is not biblical obedience, nor is it courageous. God wants me to know His Word and eagerly do what it says from the heart.
Obedience, like false bravery, can also be blind to danger. When God asks me to do something, He may or may not let me see the pitfalls, but I do not obey blindly. I obey because I know and trust God. When He asks me to obey without revealing the outcome, I can do it because I know He is not going to harm me. This is getting closer to the biblical idea of courage.
I need it all the time. For one thing, I’m a results-oriented person. If I act and nothing comes of it, I want to throw in the towel. But courage is not like that. Courage means obeying God even if the results are not seen. It is based on believing He has reasons, not on what I can see.
Courage is often associated with an emotion, but in the Bible that emotion is different from the confidence/bravery association usually made. It is even different from the “I’m scared but I’ll do it anyway” attitude. For God’s people, He says no fright, no dismay and no self-confidence. I am to put my trust in Him and think about what His Word tells me to do. I must know without a doubt that He is with me, no matter how I feel.
This then is courage: wherever I go and whatever I do in response to the commands of God, no matter how difficult they are or how much opposition I face, Almighty God is walking beside me. I cannot see Him (I walk by faith, not by sight) but I know that presence. It changes things.
One incident comes to mind. A cursing man spoke vile things around children. The crowd was saying someone needed to do something. God said to me, “You do it.” With a calm sense of His presence that often accompanies obedience to Him, I got up and walked toward that man without any idea what I was going to say. I spoke. He was defensive, but he listened, and he shut up.
I still remember the feeling of it. It was not what I’d call brave, nor was I fearful. It was an overwhelming sense that God wanted me to do this and I must do it. My heart was as calm as if I were out picking flowers.
**********************
Lord, You have given me several opportunities to experience this thing You call courage. It is not brash, nor rude. It is not ‘in your face’ toward others. It is like being in a bubble where You are the protective film keeping the outside from me and me from doing anything else but what You ask.
Forgive me, and all of Your people, for thinking that courage is something else, something we have to muster and grit our teeth over, or something that makes us self-confident. Help all of us remember that You are our confidence and when You ask us to do something that normally would make us run for cover, You are always with us and You will give us all we need to do it. Our courage is You.
On the farm where I grew up, we had a few milk cows. When their calves were old enough, they had to be weaned from their mothers. Neither cow nor calf were happy about that process. Both bawled and walked the fence, one on either side. Sometimes their attempts to reunite damaged the fence. However, this process was necessary. Soon the calves fed on their own and the cows went on producing milk for the family.
Sunday I shared with my Bible study class that all my life I felt like God has been weaning me from everything else but Himself. This is not only about sin, but about anything that I depend on apart from Him. The principle behind this weaning is applied here to money:
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6)
In this culture, money is a god, defining “god” or idol as whatever is relied upon as a source of happiness and well-being. Many think that money will do it all, yet the Bible warns not to love it and not to make it an object of my affection.
I don’t know who said, “I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and I’d rather be rich,” but I have known both poverty and riches, and have discovered that the presence of God is a more important reality. He produces contentment and His presence is the greatest asset in my life. He helps me in every way so that I need not fear anything because of His promise to be with me.
It isn’t only money. As the verses above say, it is possible to fear what others can do to me. I’ve depended on their approval and acceptance, on the love of family and friends, being understood and useful, and a host of other things. When the tests come and those resources are taken away, I usually bawl like a calf and wander back and forth trying to find a way through this fence that separates me from what I want. Yet God says He is with me. He is enough. At the times of testing I may protest that being weaned is not much fun, yet Jesus is here. He does not let me down. He is with me in all situations, particularly when I obey Him in evangelism and teaching others:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20)
This means that if people reject the message (usually by rejecting the messenger), He is with me. Should my teaching fall on deaf ears, He is still with me. By saying these things, He suggests to me that no matter any negative human receptivity, He is enough.
*********************
Lord, the events of these days make me realize that I live in a society that is hostile to truth and to the Gospel. They blame You for their sin, call it by other names, then tell me I am “un-Christian” for not agreeing with them. At times I feel alone and definitely on the other side of a fence. However, You are with me. While I don’t like alienation, this is nothing like what was done to You — You were rejected and abandoned — they even killed You.
Consider (Jesus) who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:3–4)
Even as I experience the rejection and hostility of others, I recognize that this is because I belong to You. Not only that, You use this for my good, to make me more like Jesus. Instead of fighting back, You want me to lean into Your loving presence and rejoice that You will never leave me or forsake me.
Clipart
Death is on my mind. In the past few weeks, several friends have died or lost loved ones. I could not have picked a worse time to read a book about the last great war where death is also a recurring theme. In coming to the Bible to hear God speak today, how delightful that He points to the reality of the resurrection.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)
The resurrection is foundation to my faith in Christ. In fact, “If Christ has not been raised, preaching is in vain. . . . Faith is futile and we are still in our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:14,17).
But that is not all. The resurrection also proves the deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible says He “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). Moses and other prophets performed miracles, so it could be that Jesus of Nazareth could be seen as only a prophet — apart from the resurrection.
The resurrection also points to Jesus’ sovereignty over all things, including life and death. “For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living” (Romans 14:9). The One who conquered death rightly rules over all things. I can trust Him because His power is a sure thing.
The resurrection has vital implications for other aspects of my salvation. Both justification (being declared free from guilt) and new life are linked to the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. In a discussion about Abraham, Paul wrote,
That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:22–25)
As for new life in Christ, the apostle Peter wrote of the reason why this is our hope. (Remembering that in the Bible, hope is a promised certainty rather than the ‘wish’ or ‘hope so’ that is associated with that word today.)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
Paul also repeated this as the promise of God. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).
My eternal destiny depends on the resurrection. Without its reality, I have no hope. However, the promises of God are made sure by this amazing event in history. That is, if Christ did not rise from the dead, then I shall not rise, but because He has risen then all who are alive or asleep in Christ will not perish; we shall step into eternity and see Him face to face.
********************
Oh Father, while death casts a pall, Your Word calls it a mere shadow (Psalm 23). Faith in You means that those who believe and have gone before me, have passed through that shadow and are now in the light of Your presence. I am sure of this because Jesus came, died, and rose again. He gives life to us who are otherwise dead in our trespasses and sins, and life to those who have died in Christ, yet who will never die. Thank You for faith to believe and thank You that You already live in my heart. Your life is my life because death could not hold You. You walked out of that tomb a winner!
When negative things happen and my mind turns inward, I need to read passages from God’s Word like this one:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3–6)
The entire first chapter of Ephesians is rich with what God has done for me. These verses give an overview that turns my attention to blessing God for what I have instead of feeling sorry for myself for what is missing.
They also remind me that I have all spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm. Life is not perfect here, but in the imperfections and trials of life, God’s goal is to bring me to the holiness and blamelessness that He says I already have! In other words, becoming a Christian is like being drafted into the army; I am a soldier, but from day one, it has been boot camp. I have to learn how to think and act like what I already am, and remember that He is able to use all things, even the negative things, to bring me to maturity.
This passage also reminds me that God selected me to be His adopted child before He even created the world. In His mind, I was His from the very beginning. He did this that I might bring praise to Him and declare the wonder of His grace. No matter what happens to me, this isn’t about me. God is good and I am to declare it.
The next part of chapter one is also rich. It gives more detail of what God has done and who I am in His Son.
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:7–14)
I am redeemed and forgiven. Sin is no longer separating me from God or from eternal life. This is a done deal. God’s purpose is to use what He has done and is doing to unite me to Christ and bring Him glory. Sin and self-pity do not do that.
Reassurance is repeated in the last couple of verses. My salvation and future with God in eternity were sealed by the Holy Spirit. This sealing is described in the same terms as a legal document is sealed with wax and verified with the guarantor’s stamp. Instead of wax, God pooled the blood of Christ over the promises He made to my soul, then marked it with His own Spirit who lives in me — so that I would know that I belong to Him forever. This seal affirms that what He said He would do, will be done. I do not have possession of my inheritance yet, but it is guaranteed by God Himself and I can praise Him for that.
************************
Father God who knows all things, I’m glad You use the trials of life to produce purity in me. Keep my focus on You and Your glory. Make all negative things fade in their ability to turn my heart inward. Instead, use them to mark me with grace. I want to be like Jesus, not scarred with self-pity. Help me keep my eyes on You and what You have done, not look at the hurtful doings of people around me. I want to abide in You and glorify You. Fill me with Your Spirit so I can do that today.
Today marks our 40th wedding anniversary. When we got married, we thought we knew one another, but after this many years, we realize that knowing someone takes a lifetime.
When Jesus Christ came into my life just over 40 years ago, it was an introduction. If I thought I knew Him then, obviously after this many years, I am still getting to know Him too. He shows me facets about Himself that early on I could not see. As I walk with Him, He reveals new delights, new wonders about how He thinks and about His amazing grace.
He is also showing me that the more I agree with Him and rely on what He says, the more peace I have in my life. Trials come and go, but obedience levels things out, and often, obedience begins with agreement.
Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you. Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. (Job 22:21–22)
Yesterday’s obedience brought surprising results. God showed me a side of Himself that I’d not seen before. I learned something about grace as He showed me more of His goodness and why grace is so powerful. Enemies can become friends, and God’s grace can overthrow many barriers.
********************
Lord, thank You for all that You do to bring peace and goodness into my life. Today is Mother’s Day as well as a milestone in our marriage. I miss my mother and her gentle spirit, yet her influence remains. Some of what my mother was like has helped make these forty years good years. You gave me much instruction through her.
You teach me from Your Word and I am thankful for that also. You are always right on, as my son would say. You never make mistakes and your instruction always produces peace. Good comes to me because You are good. Thank You for Your blessings on our marriage and for Your blessings on my life — and for grace that I am able to learn how to agree with You.
