Real Inheritance

¹“The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD’s food offerings as their inheritance. ²They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them.

Deuteronomy 18:1-2

A hymn that has become one of my favorites in the last few months, “Take the World But Give Me Jesus” has challenged me like few others have. With lines like, “Take the world, but give me Jesus, all its joys are but a name. But His love abideth ever through eternal years the same” the eternal perspective of this great song has begun to make sense in my own heart–it’s begun to take on new meaning.

After reading David Platt’s book Radical last summer and then beginning the adoption process last fall, a subtle shift in my perspective has begun to take shape. Things of this earth seem less and less appealing. And things of eternal worth and value are coming more and more into focus, with increasing value and importance. I’m no where near where I need to be, and sometimes I frustrate myself with the constant pull of the world on my soul. But I’m beginning to learn what it means to have Jesus as my inheritance. The Levites of the Old Testament knew this well.  They were excluded from the other tribes from receiving a portion of the promised land. Instead, YHWH was their inheritance. God was their everything.

I want to live this way.  I’m not there yet.  And I probably won’t be this side of heaven.  But I want to want to.  I desperately want to live in a way that views the accomplishments, accolades, and rewards of this earth as rubbish compared to the surpassing glory of knowing Christ. May we all strive for this–that Christ be our inheritance.