Manzini, eSwatini – May 13, 2024
God was recently speaking to me about my identity in Christ under the new priesthood and covenant of Jesus. His covenant is grace and freedom and I find liberty by His Spirit! Here is a short devotional read from God.
Deuteronomy 10:8-9
-Moses is recapping the story to God’s promise, love, and faithful salvation to the Israelites before entering the promised land. He is reminding them of God’s covenant, the commandments, the regulations to live by, and to follow the way of God in their new coming land
-in this section he re-tells how God set apart the family of Levi from the twelve tribes to be his priests/ministers to serve before the ark and pronounce blessings in His name. Yaweh said “for this reason Levi does not have a portion or inheritance as his brothers, the LORD is his inheritance, as the LORD your God told him.”
-this got me thinking: we so often focus on the material aspects of God and “His blessings”, a portion of the promised land with milk and honey. But we fail to realize that God is our portion and inheritance. We want the nice job, the nice house, the nice life, but we don’t regard to have the one who saves, delivers, and blesses more.
-the priests of Levi were under a covenant promise that involved the law of sin and death. If you do this, then comes death. If you do this, you must sacrifice to atone for your sins. Works and death.
HOW MUCH GREATER OF AN INHERITANCE DO WE HAVE IN CHRIST
-because of the salvation of Christ, who fulfilled the law and prophets by living a sinful life, who redeemed us from the curse of sin and death by shedding His blood to redeem us, who rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit to give us a new life of freedom with His Spirit living in us, to lead us to eternal life with God forever.
-our inheritance is not works and performance, it is not law and death. Galatians 5:1-6 explains that we are no longer under works of the law as an inheritance in God, but we are under grace which saves us by faith in Jesus and we rest in that freedom. (Galatians 2-3 explains righteousness by faith and not living under the law that cannot justify us nor save a man)
-Hebrews chapter 7-10 goes on the explain the revelatory position to God that Christ is for us. He is the line of Melchizedek, He is a priest and king to God forever and ever (representing God to all creation). He is the only way to God, He has made the way into the temple of God’s glory forever and ever. He stands in the gap for us to God. He redeemed us once for all by His sacrifice on the cross.
– having faith in Christ, resting in that freedom, we are in Christ now under grace. We have a new inheritance and new identity. Just like the Levite priests who God is their portion; we have so much more fullness!
–1 Peter 2:8-10 we are a royal priesthood to God in Christ, a chosen people for His possession, a Holy nation. Our inheritance is not just material things, our inheritance in Christ is being royal priests with access to God forever by faith in Hie grace. We don’t have to earn it, we don’t have to perform under it, we just get to rest in the grace of His love towards us.
-my inheritance may not be the best house or best job because I’m just a sojourner on this earth waiting for the heavenly to come (like Abraham my father in faith), God’s eternal kingdom is my home as I follow Christ. His inheritance is so much more glorious than anything I could ever receive in this earth.
This revelation of God’s truth should not produce a head knowledge about grace and about my inheritance. It should produce a change in my heart as I live as a son to my Father and live free in His loving grace. It produces a childlike faith in my heart and propels me more towards the loving savior I know so well named Jesus the king. This is not just information, this is what the Bible describes as knowledge of God. In the Greek this word is described for intimately knowing your husband or wife. Because of this, it propels me towards a life of intimately knowing God through Christ in my daily walk, in my prayers, in my meals, in my fellowship, in my sleep, in my reading. Christ is all in all and He is glorious. This is the fruit of a renewed mind and Spirit that comes from the love of Christ.
Thank you for reading! I hope you were encouraged by the grace of God! Pray for me as I continue following Jesus!
To give: https://adventuresinmissions.servicereef.com/events/adventures-in-missions-3/jan-2024-world-race-expedition-11-months/participants/noah-weinstein
“We don’t have to earn it, we don’t have to perform under it, we just get to rest in the grace of His love towards us.” – It seems too good to be true, so much so that it’s hard to accept that God did everything for us. What is hard is to humble ourselves an admit, I truly can’t do any of this on my own! Coming from a workaholic family ‘Getting to rest’ is one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced! It’s also sweet when I actually do rest! It’s such a privilege!