Jesus: The Believer’s Inheritance

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  It is fascinating to observe when people talk about inheritance, ones mind would immediately cater properties, wills, houses, jewelries, and other material things. All of which are centered on material temporal things.   In 1 Peter 1:4 , although The Apostle Peter used the term “inheritance” once in his letter, Apostle Paul on the other hand, mentioned this term in his letters several times. ( Eph_1:14 , Eph_1:18 , Eph_5:5 , Col_3:24 ,) But what is so significant about this particular emphasis of Peter? After all, he made a brief description of the inheritance (verse 4-5) a believer will obtain now that he is part of God’s family.   The term “inheritance” is not something new among Jewish ears. Going back to the OT, when God divided the promised land among the 12 tribes of Israel, every tribe received a portion of the land as their inheritance, except for the tribe of Levi…”the priestly tribe”. They were the only tribe that didn’t get one. God’s reason for doing so is i...

Nehemiah--A Leader and a Builder

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President’s Day, commemorated just this past Monday, is a special holiday dedicated to honoring our country’s leaders. As Christians, we are called to pray for those in authority, for this “is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:1-7).

A number of godly and strong leaders appear in American history. Examples are George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In the Bible, such leadership can be found in the person of Nehemiah, the subject of my preaching last Sunday.

Nehemiah held a very influential and prominent position in the Medo-Persian Empire, the world power of his time. He served as the cupbearer of king Artaxerxes.

Nehemiah was a man of faith, demonstrated by his prayer life and trust in God. Scripture records his pleas to the Almighty (Nehemiah 1:11, 13:14, 24, 29, 31) and his acknowledgment of God as the One responsible for his success in leading the people of Judah in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:17,18). Confronted by opposition, Nehemiah rested in God’s sovereignty and protection.

Through Nehemiah’s leadership, Judah accomplished the unthinkable—rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in 52 days! (Nehemiah 6:15). However, the more daunting task that faced him was the broken “walls” of his people’s lives.  The people needed “rebuilding” and Nehemiah was used of God to bring about a spiritual revival that resulted to a renewed commitment to God and to the work of His temple (Nehemiah 8-12).

Unfortunately, when Nehemiah returned to Judah years later, he discovered that the people had fallen from their resolve (Nehemiah 9-10). He then led a radical reform (Nehemiah 13), further demonstrating the kind of leader Nehemiah was and the unwavering commitment he had to the cause of God!

My prayer is that we will follow the example of this godly and humble man of God. His pursuit of God and what pleases Him is so remarkable that we should reflect upon our own lives, whether we have the same commitment to the Lord. The Lord bless you.

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