Tag Archives: God

No Land, No Problem: The Inheritance of the Lord

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Joshua 13:33 – “But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.”

Imagine showing up to a family reading of the will, eager to find out which piece of property or heirloom you’ll receive, only to hear the executor say, “And for you—nothing. Except… the Lord.”

At first glance, this may sound like a raw deal. In Joshua 13, as the Promised Land is being divided up among the tribes of Israel, there’s an awkward moment when the tribe of Levi gets passed over. Everyone else receives territory—cities, fields, pastureland. The Levites? Not a square inch. Their portion is the Lord Himself.

And that changes everything.

The Levites were called to serve in the presence of the Lord—offering sacrifices, teaching the Law, and maintaining the worship of Israel. Their lives were wrapped up in the worship of God, and in return, God made a staggering promise: “I will be your inheritance.”

It’s worth asking: who really got the better portion? The tribes got land—but land with boundaries, with enemies to fight off, with thorns and thistles to till. The Levites got the Lord—no boundaries, no threat, no decay. The land could be lost. The Lord never would be.

The Blessing of a Better Inheritance

This idea echoes throughout Scripture. Psalm 16:5 says, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.” And again in Lamentations 3:24, “The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.”

This wasn’t just for the Levites. It’s for all who belong to God. Peter calls believers “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), echoing the idea that our true inheritance isn’t in wealth or property, but in knowing and being known by the Lord of Heaven.

It’s easy—especially in a world that measures success by what we own—to forget this. We envy those who’ve built big homes, secured their retirement, or collected shiny things. And while those blessings are not evil in themselves, they are fleeting. They are, at best, the wrapping paper on the gift—not the gift itself.

The true inheritance—the one that cannot be taken away, cannot rust or rot, and cannot disappoint—is the Lord.

The Joy of Serving the Lord

For the Levites, there was a cost in following God. They left behind worldly security and the comforts of a settled life. But in exchange, they lived in the presence of God. They were witnesses to His grace and instruments of His mercy. They were poor in property, but rich in the privilege of serving the Most High.

Christian, this is your calling, too.

To serve the Lord is not a lesser life. It is not a consolation prize. It is the blessed life—because He is the portion of your soul. Whatever your profession, whatever your place in this world, you have the privilege of living every day with the Lord as your inheritance. You walk with Him. You speak to Him. You are filled with His Spirit, taught by His Word, and held by His love.

There is no higher calling. No richer inheritance.

So if you find yourself feeling like you’ve missed out—if your peers are building their kingdoms while you’re just trying to be faithful—remember the Levites. They received no land. But they got the Lord. And that made all the difference.

Because to have Him is to have everything.

SDG

Believing in The God of Creation

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The day got away from me, and I jettisoned several attempts to write a new post for my blog. Since that wasn’t going to happen, I thought I’d “repost” something that I wrote about 9 years ago.  We’re staring out evening youth ministry tonight (thus my failed attempts at blogging), and our lesson tonight is on Genesis 1, the story of creation.  Here’s my article on the Benefits of Believing in a creator God.

Because the Bible says God created the heavens and the earth…

This is probably the most important reason.  God says it, that settles it.  It is often difficult to balance faith and reason, the weight of scientific evidence and the Word of God, but I must remember that this is the Word of God, and it is the rule of faith and life.  All of my thoughts and actions must be brought into submission to the Word of God.  In the end, all truth is God’s truth, so faith and science must lead us to their author.  For the time being, both my understanding of science and of God’s word are imperfect, so I must default to an inherent trust in the infallible Word of God.

Someone other than me is in control

What a relief to know that I am not at the center of the universe, that I am not the one responsible for causing the stars to shine and the worlds to turn.  Now sometimes I may think that I am, but believing in the God of Creation helps to bring me back to reality.

Francis Chan, in his book, Crazy Love, (chapter 2), puts it this way.  When we are stressed, we are saying that “the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control…How is it possible that we live as though [this life] is about us?… Frankly, you need to get over yourself.  The point of your life is to point to him.”

The God who created me, cares for me

This week I was reminded of the tornado that struck Wichita and Andover back in 1990.  I see on the news today that the volcano in Iceland continues to spew ash into the air, causing worries of water pollution, more volcano and earthquake activity, and financial crisis in Europe.  There are continued reports of war around the world and violence in our own communities.  If I did not know that the God of all creation called me His child, I would easily lose hope.  But God does know me, and in Jesus Christ, He saves me, He calls me by name, and He seals me with His Spirit that I may be assured of my salvation for eternity.  As Brad Stine says, “my self-esteem comes from the fact that the God of all creation loves me and esteems me.”

I have a purpose in life

I heard Cal Thomas say something along the lines of, “If you believe you came from slime, then to slime you will return.  But if you believe that God created you, you will live your life for Him.”  If God created us, it must have been for a reason (Jer 29:11 “I know the plans I have for you…”).  God has given us a purpose, and this is more than just a sense of calling or vocation.  Our purpose in life, to quote the Westminster Divines, is “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”  Better yet, to quote scripture, is to be “conformed to the image of his Son (Rom 8:29).  We will find different ways of doing this; but our ultimate song will be “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:11).

May your faith in the Creator God bring you strength and comfort today. 

SDG

From the Pastor’s Desk – Here are some of the things that have come across my desk this week:

Love Believes All Things: I found this to be a refreshing take on what Paul means when he writes in 1 Corinthians 13 that loves believes all things.  To think the best of others, and to give them the benefit of the doubt, is this not what it means to love and live in the community of Christ?

Why I’m Still an Evangelical: The way the word Evangelical is used today, there are many who would rather not be called by that name. It has taken on political baggage that does it a disservice.  Here the author writes: “An evangelical, by common definition, is a Christian who reads the Bible as if it’s actually true. This doesn’t mean that all evangelicals agree on everything the Bible says, but it does mean that we use it as our foundation of Truth. It’s a way of seeing and understanding the world: A worldview.” This is a helpful correction.

10 Things to Know About Reformed Theology: Like the previous article about Evangelicalism, I think Reformed Theology gets a bad reputation, and representation, sometimes.  Here is a neat little summary of what we mean by Reformed Theology.