The King and the Castle

Dear Church,

At just the right time, the Spirit of Jesus Christ brought this quote to my attention:

"Satan is always trying to maneuver you into a position where you can save your castle only by losing your bishop."

C.S. Lewis

You have an inheritance, Church. It is He Himself. You have an inheritance and you are an inheritance...Christ's inheritance.

Hear:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. . . In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory. . . For this reason. . . I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

Ephesians 1:11, 13, 14, 15, 18

Have you ever thought of yourself as His inheritance? You are His portion and His treasure whom He came to redeem. You are His; it is sealed and it is irrevocable! He sought you and saved you out of the depths of His great love, though you had gone after other lovers.

I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

Song of Solomon 6:3

I am His and He is mine.

I am His inheritance and He is my inheritance.

For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His inheritance.

Deuteronomy 32:9

We have been given an inheritance. Access. (Ephesians 2:18.) In the beginning was perfect relationship existing between the Father, Jesus, and His Holy Spirit. He formed us to join with Him in that relationship, but we turned our hearts against Him. But God in His mercy and His unrelenting love pursued us so that we might be restored to enjoy what He originally formed us for. We were saved from much, and we were saved for much.

What now is our lot? Knowing Him. Being in Him. Delighting in Him. This is what causes the aroma of Christ to exude from us. Evangelism is then natural. Love is natural. Truth is sought and devoured. All fears are claimed by Love. Suffering is beautiful and glorious because of the interactions with His presence that result. There is no intimacy like this. I could write for days about the delight and the satisfaction and the glory of this intimacy. For now, I will leave it at that.

May the Spirit of God grant you understanding and revelation, so that we may know who He is and who He has made us to be. He has enabled you to know Him -- so feast!

The Old Covenant was law-ridden and our relationship with Him was filled with stipulation after stipulation. (His love, however, remained unconditional.) Now our relationship with Him is just that -- a relationship. We have direct access to Him now that He lives in us, and we have the promise that He will never leave. The things we do, the places we go, and the decisions that we make are second to knowing Him. I pray that He reveals the wonder of this to us increasingly.

This is eternal life, that they may know Me and He who sent Me.

John 17:3

Selah,

bd