Our Position in Christ – We are God’s Inheritance – Part 7

“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:11)

I quite like The Passion Translation as well.

“Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.”

This “obtaining” of our inheritance is something received and not earned or gained. The Greek word for “we have obtained an inheritance” is klēroō and means “to cast lots.” It is found in the passive tense, meaning it is something received. Now, the casting of lots was a practice used throughout the Old Testament. How exactly they casted the lots is uncertain and perhaps not that important. The important part was that through the casting of lots GOD did the choosing. For example, the promised land was divided by casting lots (Numbers 26:52-56). Lots established the Temple priests’ order of service (1 Chronicles 24:5-19). You get the point – God is the one doing the choosing through the “random” use of casting lots.

God the Father said this to His Son Jesus:

“Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)

We are that inheritance! Does that not put a smile on your face? It should greatly encourage you. We have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus.

Now, head over to the Song of Solomon. If you remember from my articles on Song of Solomon the Shulamite (representing the Bride of Christ) had three confessions, each revealing her spiritual condition. The first “My beloved is mine, and I am his,” (SOS 2:16) revealed that she was very self-centered. The second “I am my beloved’s, And my beloved is mine,” (SOS 6:3) showed she had progressed but still self-occupied. The last “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me,” (SOS 7:10) revealed that she was now all-consumed by the Beloved. Most of us can easily find ourselves in the first or second confession. And that’s fine. The important thing is that we are headed in the direction of “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.”

It is vitally important to remember that all of this is His doing. He chose us and He will perfect us. If we can gain anything from Ephesians 1 it is the fact that He is the Initiator. Let us lay aside any pride or smugness. He chose us. Sometimes we may question His choice but that is up to Him.

There is a flip side to this. Yes, we are God’s inheritance. But He is also ours. Listen to David, the man after God’s own heart:

“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)

David realized that no land, riches or any THING would satisfy him. God was his portion. No matter what lot fell to him he had the greatest inheritance: God Himself. We can say the same. But we, if I may, have an advantage over David. We have the person the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, teach, reveal mysteries. We can rightly agree with David and say “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places.”

Thank you Father for choosing us. Thank you that we are Your inheritance. You are bringing us to the place where we can say, as Your bride, “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.” Yes, we are yours. Do with us as you will. We surrender to you. We thank you for the “lines” in our lives. We may not enjoy every line but we know you use everything for your purpose. In Jesus’ name.