Inherit the land!

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Deuteronomy 1-3; Psalm 53

TO CHEW ON: “You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6

“You have skirted this mountain long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 NKJV
“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP

“… inherit the land…” Deuteronomy 3:28

In these first three chapters of Deuteronomy, Moses reviewed for the Israelites the chain of events that had brought them to this time and place (40 years out of Egypt, camped on the eastern border of Canaan). Three bullet points in his lecture stand out and may apply to us too.

“You have dwelt long enough at this mountain” - Deuteronomy 1:6.

The mountain Moses was referring to here was Mount Sinai. We recall what happened there—an intense experience with God: the law, the Tabernacle, worship, all accompanied by God’s electrifying presence.

But they weren’t to stay there. The day came that God said “You have lived here long enough.”

“You have roamed around this mountain country long enough” - Deuteronomy 2:3 AMP.

Moses continued reminding the Israelites of their history in the wilderness, their 38 years of additional wandering. It was a fate they brought on themselves by their fear and refusal (two years into their journey) to trust that God would give them victory over the fearful giants of Canaan.

Thankfully the day came when God again said, “Enough! it’s time to re-engage with faith and courage and claim the promise I gave you 40 years ago” (my paraphrase).

“… inherit the land” - Deuteronomy 3:28

This is part of the assignment God gave Moses for Joshua at the end of our reading: “But command Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go before this people and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

How do these things relate to us?

There are times we experience spiritual highs—times when God feels close and intimate. Like Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration, we’d like to camp there… and stay… forever! But that’s not what life is for. We need to re-engage with the world, life, and resume our pilgrimage to realize the purpose and destiny for which we were created.

We can also get stuck going in circles, as the Israelites did. Joyce Meyer has devoted a 10-chapter section of her classic Battlefield of the Mind to “Wilderness Mentalities”—attitudes which keep us from making spiritual progress. She says in the introduction to that section:

“We really shouldn’t look at the Israelites with such astonishment because most of us do the same thing they did. We keep going around and around the same mountains instead of making progress. The result is it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly” - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 175.

If we’re n such a place, let’s stop trudging around in the desert and pray for insights into attitudes and actions that will bring breakthrough and take us into the land of all God has for us.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I need Your insights into the parts of my life that seem to be going nowhere. Please show me Your secrets of breakthrough. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 53

The Bible Project VIDEO: Deuteronomy (Read Scripture Series)



Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading! This year we are using The Bible Project "Timeless Reading Plan" to read through the Bible in 2018. If you'd like to read along in your own Bible, you can download a pdf of the reading plan HERE.

What do you know about your inheritance?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Peter 3:8-22

TO CHEW ON: “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Peter 3:9

Here Peter challenges his readers to counteract evil and insults with blessing. I like how the Amplified Bible phrases our focus verse:

“Never return evil for evil or insult for insult—scolding, tongue lashing berating; but on the contrary blessing—praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection and truly pitying and loving them. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God]—obtain a blessing as heirs bringing welfare and happiness and protection” - 1 Peter 3:9 AMP.

Peter connects this surprising reaction to evil and insults with a Christian’s inheritance. He says that an inheritance of blessing is a consequence of responding to evil and insults with blessing.

This connection of our reaction and the consequence of inheritance set me on a small search for other things that impact our inheritance or are part of it. Here are a few examples:

• David connected getting a godly heritage with fearing God’s name - Psalm 61:5.

• The writer of Psalm 119 considered God’s spoken / written word (“Your testimonies”) as his heritage - Psalm 119:111. Paul reminded the Christians at Ephesus of this aspect of God’s word in his farewell talk with them: “‘So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, who is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” - Acts 20:32.

• The “servants of the Lord” are promised a heritage of God’s defense from words and weapons - Isaiah 54:17.

• Paul urged King Agrippa to accept salvation through Christ. In his talk, he quoted the words that Jesus spoke to him on the Damascus Road. They include a heritage of going from spiritual darkness to light, being removed from the power of Satan to the power of God, and forgiven sins - Acts 26:18.

• Our inheritance is in Jesus - Ephesians 1:11.

• Someday we’ll get our inheritance reward from Jesus - Colossians 3:24.

• It’s an inheritance that can’t be tinkered with or destroyed, awaiting us in heaven, as Peter explains it in 1 Peter 1:4: “…  an inheritance which is imperishable [beyond the reach of change] and undefiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you” - AMP.

The inheritance we get from our parents and grandparents is largely out of our control. But this spiritual inheritance is one over which we have a lot of say as we:

1] Accept Christ’s forgiveness and leave Satan’s kingdom to enter God’s.

2] Take advantage of one of our Father’s greatest gifts to us—the Bible.

3] Serve Him and act like His kids (including how we return blessing for cursing—our focus verse).

4] Live in hope and expectation of the day Jesus will give us our inheritance in heaven.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for this inheritance, awaiting me in heaven. Help me to live as Your child in the way I react to evil and insults with blessing. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Reasons to clap

"Shout to God with the voice of triumph..." (Image Pixabay)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 47:1-9

TO CHEW ON: "Oh clap your hands all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" Psalm 47:1

The word transliterated "clap" (taqa') means to clatter, clang, sound, blow (trumpets), clap, strike. "Its best one-word definition may be 'strike'" says a Word Wealth article in my Bible. It goes on to explain the Israeli usage of the word: "Taqa' describes pitching a tent or fastening a nail, probably due to the striking of the hammer used for both tasks. In other references taqa' describes blowing a trumpet or sounding an alert" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 724.

"Clap" is definitely a noisy word. Why would we respond to God this way? Several facts gleaned from my Bible's notes about how people over the years have viewed this psalm help answer:

God's rule:
This psalm was part of Israel's New Year celebrations. In the words of verse 2: "For the Lord Most High is awesome, / He is a great King over all the earth," they claimed God's rule over the nations in the coming year.

Our inheritance:
While the Son of Korah writer of this psalm may have been thinking of a literal inheritance of land when he wrote: "He will choose our inheritance for us…" (Psalm 47:4), Paul related this inheritance to Jesus and the inheritance He bought for believers through His death and resurrection - Colossians 1:12-14.

Our hope for the future:
Christians have seen in the words "God has gone up with a shout…" (Psalm 47:5) a prophetic picture of Jesus' ascension. After coming down to accomplish salvation (Philippians 2:6-10), He went up in victory (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 12:2). But that's not the end of the story. Someday He will return with shouts and trumpets to take us to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

Do these things—God's rule, our inheritance, our hope—elicit a reaction in us? As we meditate on these grand truths and celebrate them in our churches, let's not squelch the impulse to respond with a little noise. Applause is definitely in order!

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to realize anew the magnitude of what You have done in the world and for Me. May these truths never grow old and tired. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A double portion

Elisha & Elijah - Artist Unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 2:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?" Elisha said, 'Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.'" 2 Kings 2:9

After spending days, weeks, months together with him 24/7, all Elisha wants is to be like his mentor—only more so. What a tribute to Elijah! Would people say that about you or me after spending hours, days, weeks with us?

Of course Elisha's request is rooted in spiritual desire. For I believe he sees in Elijah more than a magnetic personality, unusual insight, or signs-and-wonders power. He recognizes that the spirit of Yahweh is in him, working through his teacher and that's what he really wants.

Expressions of spiritual desire are found all through the Bible.

• Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge to rule the people well - 2 Chronicles 1:10.

• Israel is described as seeking God with all their hearts at a time of revival in 2 Chronicles 15:15.

• The psalmist talked about living full-time in God's house, admiring HIs beauty, and inquiring in His temple - Psalm 27:4.

• Isaiah spoke of longing for God during the night and seeking Him early as a means to putting the land he loves right - Isaiah 26:9.

• Jesus talked about our  hunger and thirst for righteousness as a condition for blessing - Luke 6:21.

• Peter likened our spiritual appetite for the word to a newborn baby's craving for milk - 1 Peter 2:2.

If you could ask for a double portion of the spirit of some Bible character in whom you see genuine spiritual desire, who would you choose?

Perhaps Moses of whom it was said, "So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend" - Exodus 33:11.

Perhaps Joshua who faithfully led Israel first as Moses' understudy, then as its leader for generations, and who said: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" - Joshua 24:15.

Perhaps you'd want to be like Peter and John, of whom the religious leaders noted "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John … They realized the had been with Jesus"- Acts 4:13.

Or deacon Stephen "… a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit and power" who "… did great signs among the people" - Acts 6:5,8

Or…?


PRAYER: Dear God, help me to see these Bible characters as examples and models of what you can do through me as I give myself to You and Your indwelling Spirit. Amen.


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The stay-at-home prodigal

 Prodigal's Brother" - woodcut by
 Johann Christoph Weigel - 1694
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 15:11-32

TO CHEW ON: “’But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’” Luke 15:30-31

I love this story for its hopefulness about prodigals – both those who leave and those who stay home. Trouble is, I find myself identifying with one of them. Maybe it’s because I too am an oldest child and tend to be duty-driven that I empathize with that older brother.

He was all work and responsibility with, no doubt, a pinch of self-pity and a dash of self-righteousness. He probably resented the fact that he was left at home to work for Dad but may have congratulated himself on his work ethic and moral lifestyle. Perhaps he even dreamed of the day his brother would return and get a tongue-lashing from Dad.

Of course Dad would hold him up as the example to follow. Thus on the day older brother returned from work to find the house alight and vibrating with celebration over the return of the scoundrel, his unmet expectations boiled over in stubborn standoffishness, and then, when Dad begged him to join the party, a heated exchange.

Their little conversation illustrates some things about stay-at-home prodigals, who can be just as distant in their relationship with God as their runaway counterparts.

1. Even though he lived with his father, the older son didn’t really know him. Surely he had seen his dad go out every day to scan the horizon for a sign of the kid returning. Yet that action never registered as yearning father-love, and big bro was surprised by his father’s delight at the prodigal’s return.

2. He didn’t communicate with his father. When he objected to Dad’s lavish celebration with “…you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends,” father replied, “Son, you are always with me.” I read that as, ‘Why didn’t you ask? I was here all the time.’

3. He didn’t know what was at his disposal. He could have had that young goat and much more. “All that I have is yours,” his dad told him.

If we find traces of ourselves in the stay-at-home prodigal, we can change the situation by working on his three areas of lack.

• We can get to know God. We see God the Father at work in the Old Testament. Jesus, His Son, lives out God’s father-heart of love in the New. We can get to know Him and His love for us and for everyone, deserving or irresponsible, as we read the Bible.

• We can communicate with Him – in prayer. “You do not have because you do not ask,” James says (James 4:2).

• We can get familiar with our inheritance and begin enjoying all the wonderful things at our disposal as children of God right now.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Thank You for telling this inclusive story. We are all prodigals. Thank You for welcoming us back. Amen.

MORE: Know your inheritance:

The older brother may have saved himself a lot of grief if he had realized his father's generosity with his inheritance even while he (Dad) was still alive. We too have a grand inheritance now:

• We have insight into God’s kingdom - Matthew 13:11
• We have the record of Old and New Testament witnesses to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan - Luke 10:23
• Through Jesus we can be right with God and happily exist “in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory”  - Romans 5:2 (latter quote from )Message.
• We have the Holy Spirit who interprets the things of God to us (“dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along” -  1 Corinthians 2:10 (latter quote from Message).
• Out bodies are actually Christ's home - Colossians 1:26-27
• We are anointed by God - 1 John 2:20
•  We still live in a time of opportunity. Even if we've strayed, it’s still possible to return and spend the rest of our days doing things that count in God’s kingdom- Revelation 3:3

Stay-at-home prodigal

"Prodigal's Brother" Woodcut
by Johann Christoph Weigel 1695  
 TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 15:11-32

TO CHEW ON: “’But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’

And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’” Luke 15:30-31

I love this story for its hopefulness about prodigals – both those who leave and those who stay home. Trouble is, I find myself identifying with one of them. Maybe it’s because I too am an oldest child and tend to be duty-driven that I empathize with that older brother.

He was all work and responsibility with, no doubt, a pinch of self-pity and a dash of self-righteousness. He probably resented the fact that he was left at home to work for Dad but may have congratulated himself on his work ethic and moral lifestyle. Perhaps he even dreamed of the day his brother would return and get a tongue-lashing from Dad. Of course Dad would hold him up as the example to follow. Thus on the day older brother returned from work to find the house alight and vibrating with celebration over the return of the scoundrel, his unmet expectations boiled over in stubborn standoffishness, and then, when Dad begged him to join the party, a heated exchange.

Their little conversation illustrates some things about stay-at-home prodigals, who can be just as distant in their relationship with God as their runaway counterparts.

1. Even though he lived with his father, the older son didn’t really know him. Surely he had seen his dad go out every day to scan the horizon for a sign of the kid returning. Yet that action never registered as yearning father-love, and big bro was surprised by his father’s delight at the prodigal’s return.

2. He didn’t communicate with his father. When he objected to Dad’s lavish celebration with “…you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends,” father replied, “Son, you are always with me.” I read that as, ‘Why didn’t you ask? I was here all the time.’

3. He didn’t know what was at his disposal. He could have had that young goat and much more. “All that I have is yours,” his dad told him.

If we find traces of ourselves in the stay-at-home prodigal, we can change the situation by working on his three areas of lack.

• We can get to know God. We see God the Father at work in the Old Testament. Jesus, His Son, lives out God’s father-heart of love in the New. We can get to know Him and His love for us and for everyone, deserving or irresponsible, as we read the Bible.

• We can communicate with Him – in prayer. “You do not have because you do not ask,” James says.

• We can get familiar with our inheritance and begin enjoying all the wonderful things at our disposal as children of God right now.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Thank You for telling this inclusive story. We are all prodigals. Thank You for welcoming us back. Amen.

MORE: Know your inheritance:
The older brother may have saved himself a lot of grief if he had realized his father's generosity with his inheritance even while he (Dad) was still alive. We too have a grand inheritance now:

• We have insight into God’s kingdom. 
• We have the record of Old and New Testament witnesses to Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s plan.
• Through Jesus we can be right with God and happily exist “in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory” - Message.
• We have the Holy Spirit who interprets the things of God to us (“dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along” - Message).
• Out bodies are actually Christ's home.
• We are anointed by God. 
• We still live in a time of opportunity. Even if we've strayed, it’s still possible to return and spend the rest of our days doing things that count in God’s kingdom.