“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field"
The kingdom of God is worth more than all of your possessions but make no mistake, you cannot afford the kingdom of God. If the owner of that field knew just exactly what was in it, he would have never sold it. God cannot be bought. However, to all those who seek it with joy it is freely given to them by the Father through the adoption afforded by the blood of the True Son, Jesus Christ.
You are a son of God if you are in Christ and a co-heir with Christ to the riches of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is freely given to everyone who considers God their Father and loves, honors, and obeys him as a child would their parent. God would never think to make his children earn his inheritance, but freely gives it. Not only this, he purchased men and women by the blood of Jesus as sons and daughters just so more people can share in his inheritance.
We have a gracious, forgiving, and benevolent Father! The entire world and everything in it belongs to Him; it is his inheritance to pass on to his children.
Showing posts with label inheritance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inheritance. Show all posts
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Ephesians 1:13-14
"And you were also included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of His glory."
In this short little introduction to Ephesians, Paul marks out the will of God for the salvation of men. Here, we see the fullness of the Trinity coming together for our redemption; We are marked (by the Father) in Him (Christ) with the promised Holy Spirit. It is the Father who draws us in through the Son by the Holy Spirit. The Father is the fisherman, the Son the rod, and the Holy Spirit is the hook that never lets us go. Because it is God working in all three aspects of salvation, the process is made perfect. Were salvation from men, salvation would fail. But thank God that salvation is guaranteed for those who believe and are sealed with the Holy Spirit!
And this then is the mark of salvation for every true believer: That even when you sin and stray from the path, The Spirit will convict you, Christ will forgive you, and the Father will always bring you back to him for the Father always disciplines his children. All three Persons work together in perfect harmony for our redemption. Do you believe it? But truly, truly, by faith it is so!
In this short little introduction to Ephesians, Paul marks out the will of God for the salvation of men. Here, we see the fullness of the Trinity coming together for our redemption; We are marked (by the Father) in Him (Christ) with the promised Holy Spirit. It is the Father who draws us in through the Son by the Holy Spirit. The Father is the fisherman, the Son the rod, and the Holy Spirit is the hook that never lets us go. Because it is God working in all three aspects of salvation, the process is made perfect. Were salvation from men, salvation would fail. But thank God that salvation is guaranteed for those who believe and are sealed with the Holy Spirit!
And this then is the mark of salvation for every true believer: That even when you sin and stray from the path, The Spirit will convict you, Christ will forgive you, and the Father will always bring you back to him for the Father always disciplines his children. All three Persons work together in perfect harmony for our redemption. Do you believe it? But truly, truly, by faith it is so!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Psalms 73:20
"As a dream when one wakes, so when you arise, O Lord, you will despise them as fantasies."
The wicked have no real place in the world, just a blip in the existence of a structure vast and great.* Simply put: In the grand scheme of things they do not exist. The pain, suffering, and oppression they cause is real (or at least appears real) but only terribly temporary just like the riches and the power and the pleasures they seek. They will become just like their idols, lifeless and insatiable.
But when the Lord comes again in his full power and majesty, the wicked will fall away like they had never existed. All suffering, all pain, and all strife will pass like a bad dream when the Lord lifts his hand against them. In the blink of an eye they will be destroyed and swept away, forgotten like a dream in the mind of God.
But those who are in Christ will last forever. Theirs is the inheritance of eternal life. When God arises, they will remain with Him for all eternity. What do we have besides God? The Earth has nothing for us that we can keep, but the Lord God is ours forever. Hallelujah!
*phrasing borrowed from a band called Say Anything. Their lead singer, Max Bemis, recently became a Christian because of his wife (he used to be Jewish) and I've been enjoying his new album.
The wicked have no real place in the world, just a blip in the existence of a structure vast and great.* Simply put: In the grand scheme of things they do not exist. The pain, suffering, and oppression they cause is real (or at least appears real) but only terribly temporary just like the riches and the power and the pleasures they seek. They will become just like their idols, lifeless and insatiable.
But when the Lord comes again in his full power and majesty, the wicked will fall away like they had never existed. All suffering, all pain, and all strife will pass like a bad dream when the Lord lifts his hand against them. In the blink of an eye they will be destroyed and swept away, forgotten like a dream in the mind of God.
But those who are in Christ will last forever. Theirs is the inheritance of eternal life. When God arises, they will remain with Him for all eternity. What do we have besides God? The Earth has nothing for us that we can keep, but the Lord God is ours forever. Hallelujah!
*phrasing borrowed from a band called Say Anything. Their lead singer, Max Bemis, recently became a Christian because of his wife (he used to be Jewish) and I've been enjoying his new album.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Mark 12:10
"Haven't you read this Scripture:
'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; The LORD has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.'?
In our moment of defeat as we lay helpless and hopeless on the battlefield with the enemy bearing down on us about to plunge his fiery spear into our hearts, the true Heir of the Kingdom came to us and fought in our stead and repelled the enemy. But what was to be a moment of gratitude turned into betrayal as we plunged our sword into His back in hopes that Satan and his army might be merciful to us and spare our lives. Satan took His Body and hung it up as a trophy of his victory and there Jesus lay abandoned, rejected, and alone for three days while some wept, some cheered, and others stood indifferent, but everyone who wasn't slain was captured and forced into slavery. With the death of our King, Satan's army's had won the war.
But the stone the builders rejected had become the capstone. Jesus rose from the dead and empowered by his Father proceeded to destroy Satan's kingdom from the inside out and with him were all those who believed in his power and might to deliver us from captivity and joined him in his fight. The man who became our sacrifice became our savior and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The third day of Holy week.
'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; The LORD has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.'?
In our moment of defeat as we lay helpless and hopeless on the battlefield with the enemy bearing down on us about to plunge his fiery spear into our hearts, the true Heir of the Kingdom came to us and fought in our stead and repelled the enemy. But what was to be a moment of gratitude turned into betrayal as we plunged our sword into His back in hopes that Satan and his army might be merciful to us and spare our lives. Satan took His Body and hung it up as a trophy of his victory and there Jesus lay abandoned, rejected, and alone for three days while some wept, some cheered, and others stood indifferent, but everyone who wasn't slain was captured and forced into slavery. With the death of our King, Satan's army's had won the war.
But the stone the builders rejected had become the capstone. Jesus rose from the dead and empowered by his Father proceeded to destroy Satan's kingdom from the inside out and with him were all those who believed in his power and might to deliver us from captivity and joined him in his fight. The man who became our sacrifice became our savior and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The third day of Holy week.
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