A Delightful Inheritance

"LORD,you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance."—Psalm 16:5, 6 NIV

By Tim Thomassen

The Lord’s people have a wonderful heritage. This is seen more clearly the deeper one probes into the Word of God. The scriptures confirm this. "Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart" (Psa. 119:111 NIV).

The word "heritage" suggests something that has been inherited. Literally, it could be an heirloom, an estate, patrimony, or portion. It is a possession.

Some have been privileged to have been raised in an environment in which the Bible has been studied and its precepts followed closely. Others have come to know the beauties of the truth in different ways, having been led by the holy Spirit through other instrumentalities.

Once we have been introduced to God’s marvelous teachings, it is necessary to decide what we should do with them. Do we embrace or ignore them? Will they become the focal point of our life or merely occupy a distant place in our thoughts and affections?

Perhaps some are facing these decisions currently. If so, it is hoped that the following precious promises will provide strength and encouragement.

"The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way."—Psalm 25:9

"Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."—Psalm 37:4, 5

"Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh unto you."—James 4:8.

If we are endeavoring to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18), we must continue to "keep on keeping on." It is my prayer that we receive God’s message with great eagerness and examine the scriptures daily to see if what we have been told is true (Acts. 17:11). May we do our best to present ourselves to God as approved workmen who do not need to be ashamed and who correctly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Both individually and collectively, may we do good unto all men, especially the household of faith (Gal. 6:10). May the Lord grant us wisdom, strength, and the means to "preach the Word, to be prepared in season and out of season, to correct, rebuke, encourage with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Tim. 4:2).

The Lord’s people in this end of the age are told in Revelation 18:4 to "come out of her (Babylon) . . . that ye be not partakers of her sins." We should depart from any form of denominationalism, encourage each other not to be in bondage to the creeds and practices of men, teach the gospel to anyone who has a "hearing ear," while continuing to lay down our lives in sacrifice.

"Come out, then, from among them, the Lord says to us, separate yourselves from them, and do not even touch what is unclean."—2 Corinthians 6:17 (Knox Translation)

Many indicators suggest strongly that we are living in the time of the harvest, the end of the age (Matt. 13:39). It is a period of separating the real wheat from the tares. There may be many fine and noble people among the tares. However, they are not part of the wheat class because they are not begotten of the truth and its spirit. Only God’s truth sanctifies (John 17:17). Furthermore, we are told that this is "the will of God, even your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3).

Truth is a rare thing. Proverbs 23:23 counsels us to "buy the truth and sell it not." Truth, wisdom, and understanding are precious. They should never be sold nor compromised. May we be faithful to this end while cultivating the character likeness of our Master, Christ Jesus.