One of the 'surprises' about God is that He is way more generous and gracious than we can ever imagine. He never delivers 'shortfall' although we may think that is all we deserve. He responds to the person who dares to come before Him and especially when it seems that both circumstances and cultural settings are against them.
A great example of this is seen in the account of the five daughters of Zelophehad who was a direct descendant of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.(Numbers 27) These five sisters had no male to represent them or to cover for them. Their father had died in the wilderness and they had no brother to speak for them. They were very vulnerable because they had what seemed like no natural claim to any inheritance yet they dared to approach Moses, the 'keeper of the law', to plead their case. They asked for the right to possess their inheritance just as if it would have been granted without question, if they had been their father's sons.
Though Moses could have made a judgement based on the inheritance laws at the time, he spoke to the Lord about the case and received a clear direction that the sisters were entitled to receive possession of their inheritance. A new precedent was established. It was as if grace over ruled the laws of men. God delights when believers plead for possession of their inheritance in Christ. He delights to bless with all of the heavenly blessings that are in Christ. He delights when we dare to ask by faith for our inheritance. A great example of this is seen in Matthew 15:22 when the Canaanite woman cried out to Jesus for mercy toward her demon possessed daughter.. Even Jesus would not resist her pleading as a Gentile when she said to Him, "Yes Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table." Jesus admired her great faith and healed her daughter.
How hungry are we for our inheritance in Christ? Father God responds to the faith cry of a hungry heart. Grace will always over ride laws and restrictions. Faith will over ride the law just as grace will over ride sin. He delights when we are hungry for all that Christ has done by way of His finished work. He delights when we identify as products of His finished work. He responds to faith in His finished work.
The wonderful thing about receiving our inheritance in Christ is that it will enrich the live of those around us including the generations that will follow. His will is that "you prosper in all things and be in good health just as your soul prospers". (3 John2) You are designed to be the receiver of blessings in Christ as well as the giver of those same blessings to others!
This blog is based on a message spoken by Diane Smith on 28/12/14 at The Vine Church , Logan City, Queensland Australia. The full message can be accessed by podcast from www.thevine.org.au/teaching
No comments:
Post a Comment