Our Inheritance
By: Ashley Thomas
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1: 3 NKJV
Our Inheritance part 1
Do you know that there is so much for us to learn about our salvation? Most of us have our understanding as to what we have been saved from, this is an important aspect of our lives for we all must agree, that what we have received has come solely by grace. However, we need to also bear in mind that we have not only be saved from something - we have been saved for something.
God is fully cognizant about the cause and effects of sin. Sin robs us of fellowship with God - because God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. The only way for fellowship to be restored, is to wash away all trace of enmity. Let me explain, when you care about someone and desire to have fellowship with a particular individual, you will go to great extents to express your desire for it. You will make the phone calls, send the emails, travel miles if need be because you value the relationship. Now something unfortunate happens to this relationship, and there is enmity between the two. All of a sudden what two parties had in common is severed. There are two options in such situations - you can leave the enmity as is or you can seek to rectify and resolve the problem. Regrettably though, some problems go unresolved because of irreconcilable issues.
I’ve said all this to draw a parallel concerning our relationship with God. Think about this, you were naturally born with an enmity towards God - you did nothing to gain this enmity. If you were born without this enmity you will not need salvation but the fact remains - you have a sin nature and are in need of a Savior. Just as it is true that you did nothing to gain this enmity - at the same time you have done nothing to gain your reconciliation. God knew long before Adam was created that man would sin. There was no element of surprise on the part of God regarding Adam’s fall. What is important to note was that the plan of God was only underway to reach it’s ultimate triumph on the cross. The enmity was to be resolved once and for all, to teach us that God does desire separation from man. The sin problem therefore is no longer an issue, God will not judge sin twice, just as Christ will never be crucified again. When the apostle wrote what shall separate us from the love of God - He was clearly elaborating - nothing!
God has His plan for you to receive His highest and best. It is His plan that you need to understand and not allow the enemy of your soul to steal its truth from your life. Remember nothing is impossible to Him who first loved us. Amen!
Ashley Thomas http://www.ariseshine.org.au is the lead pastor of an emerging church in Brisbane Australia and is the writer of Praise The Lord It’s Friday a weekly article of life and encouragement