An Inheritance that Will Never Fade (and other devotionals)

An Inheritance that Will Never Fade

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:4

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

A man was sitting on a street corner, weeping. A friend saw him and asked, “Why are you crying?”

“Haven’t you read the papers? Rockefeller died.”

The friend responded, “Why are you crying? You were no kin of his!”

“That’s why I’m crying!”

You have an inheritance right now as a child of God. It is incorruptible. The foul breath of decay and gnawing tooth of time cannot take it away. It is undefiled. No high-powered lawyer can find a loophole. It will never fade away.

ACTION POINT:

If you understood what you have in Jesus, you would never be jealous of anybody. Ezekiel 44:28 says that God is your inheritance. You have an inheritance that is faultless, flawless, fadeless, and reserved in heaven for you!

~Adrian Rogers~

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Matthew 9:6

The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.

Behold one of the great Physician's mightiest arts: He has power to forgive sin! While here He lived below, before the ransom had been paid, before the blood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy-seat, He had power to forgive sin. Hath He not power to do it now that He hath died? What power must dwell in Him who to the utmost farthing has faithfully discharged the debts of His people! He has boundless power now that He has finished transgression and made an end of sin. If ye doubt it, see Him rising from the dead! behold Him in ascending splendour raised to the right hand of God! Hear Him pleading before the eternal Father, pointing to His wounds, urging the merit of His sacred passion! What power to forgive is here! "He hath ascended on high, and received gifts for men." "He is exalted on high to give repentance and remission of sins." The most crimson sins are removed by the crimson of His blood. At this moment, dear reader, whatever thy sinfulness, Christ has power to pardon, power to pardon thee, and millions such as thou art. A word will speak it. He has nothing more to do to win thy pardon; all the atoning work is done. He can, in answer to thy tears, forgive thy sins today, and make thee know it. He can breathe into thy soul at this very moment a peace with God which passeth all understanding, which shall spring from perfect remission of thy manifold iniquities. Dost thou believe that? I trust thou believest it. Mayst thou experience now the power of Jesus to forgive sin! Waste no time in applying to the Physician of souls, but hasten to Him with words like these:-

"Jesus! Master! hear my cry;

Save me, heal me with a word;

Fainting at Thy feet I lie,

Thou my whisper'd plaint hast heard."

~Charles Spurgeon~

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Come Into the Secret Place 

Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

Some of us speak about God, but rarely experience Him. We quote scripture, talk about Christian books we have read, throw up prayers in the shower, go to church and say a few corporate prayers, but often will not carve out a portion of our day to enter into the secret place to listen to the Master. Why? Because it’s hard. Because it’s scary. Because it takes time. Because it makes us feel small and vulnerable and afraid. We doubt our ability to hear. (Was that really God?) We come face-to-face with our sin as His Word penetrates our hearts, (I can’t believe that sinful attitude is in me!), and we know that if we actually listen that God might expect us to do something with what we hear.

If I don’t spend time in His presence, if I don’t enter the secret place, I can still be a Christian without feeling like I am accountable to my Creator. I can live a self-focused life without being confronted with the depravity of my own soul. I can stay safe and avoid the discomfort of God asking me to do anything that upsets the apple cart of my carefully-arranged life. If I don’t hear from God, I won’t hear truth, and truth can at times be very uncomfortable, even when it’s healing.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

So we make excuses for why we don’t have time. But the reality is that anyone can find time for that which they truly want to do. Look at how people behave when they are in love. Nothing can stop them from expressing affection to their beloved. They find time because they want to, because it’s important to them. So when it comes to spending time in the Master’s presence, saying we don’t have time is, well . . . a cop out.

So rather than spend time in the secret place, we only get second-hand messages from our pastor, or an author who has spent time with the Master in the quiet place writing down His secrets. We read or hear them from these messengers of God, and—thankfully—we may even apply the truths we hear to our lives. But how tragic that we have received just a cup of water from someone who went to the Spring of Living Water for us, but we won’t go to the Spring ourselves to get filled to overflowing! The distractions that can pull us away from spending authentic time with the One who made us are too many to list: our kids, our mate, our job, our parents, our sleep schedule, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, and a Saturday baseball game. But if we really believed that the God of the Universe was listening, would we stop in a quiet place, prostrate ourselves in prayer and really listen to Him?

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psa 91:1 KJV)

Prayer: Lord, you are my greatest treasure! Help me remember that I forfeit receiving so much wisdom and your words of life when I don’t spend time with you.

Application: What is a good rhythm I can cultivate to spend more time with Christ?

~Wisdom Hunters Devotional~

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Search the Scriptures

After Paul preached the gospel to the Bereans, they did something that others had not done—they searched the Scriptures.

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so (Acts17:11).

According to the next verse, the result of their search was that many of them believed.

Jesus said in John 5:39, "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."

I once heard a Jewish believer share his testimony.  His daughter, who had become a Christian, challenged him to read through the New Testament.

He began in Matthew and was astonished to find so many Old Testament references to the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus.

His initial reason for searching the Scriptures was to prove that his daughter was wrong, but instead, he ended up giving his heart to Christ.  The Scriptures testified of Jesus!

Look for Him as you read the Holy Scriptures, and encourage others to do the same.

~Bayless Conley~