"But Moses gave no allotment of land to the tribe of Levi, for the LORD God of Israel, had promised that He himself would be their allotment." (Joshua 13:33)
The subject of land allotment was discussed before Moses' death. Now, since they have crossed the Jordan and 31 Kings have been defeated, Joshua begins to divide the portions of the land inheritance to the Israelites. As stated before, because of their chosen position of service in the Tabernacle the tribe of Levi did not receive a specific allotment. They were to live among the people in all land allotments and to have their needs meet through offerings and sacrifices to the Tabernacle.
Digging deeper into the meaning of allotment I discovered it to be translated in other versions of the Bible as the word inheritance. The word inheritance gives the verse a different perspective than the allotment. The verse grew in depth when I discovered inheritance is translated as portion or possession.
I love the word portion. It is rich is meaning. A portion is a part of whole allotted to or belonging to a person or group. As Believers we are a part of a whole group allotted to a person. Peter gives us the following encouragement:
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." (1 Peter 1:9)
We have seen throughout our journey the gentle care God provides for the Priests, those who care for His Tabernacle as well as His children. His children, the Priests, and those who care for His Tabernacle have come to recognize God has their portion.
"The LORD is my chose portion and my cup; you hold my lot." (Psalm 16:5)
"The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep you words." (Psalm 119:57)
"I cry to you, O LORD;I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." (Psalm 142:5)
"The LORD is my portion, "says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:24)
"The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep you words." (Psalm 119:57)
"I cry to you, O LORD;I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." (Psalm 142:5)
"The LORD is my portion, "says my soul, "therefore I will hope in Him." (Lamentations 3:24)
The LORD himself is my inheritance, my portion, my enough~
21 Comments:
Wendy, I too stopped at this verse as I was reading, and right beside it, in the margin in my Bible I wrote, "my portion". Now, I come here and read such a beautiful post. He is my portion.
The lyrics to a chorus keep singing in my head:
"I will bless the Lord forever,
And I will trust Him at all times.
He has delivered me from all things,
And He has set my feet upon the Rock.
I will not be moved, and I'll say of the Lord:
You are my Shield, my Strength, my Portion, Deliverer,
My Shelter, Strong Tower, my very present help in time of need.
Whom have I in Heaven but You.
There's no one I desire beside You.
You have made me glad, and I'll say of the Lord:
You are my Shield, my Strength, my Portion, Deliverer,
My Shelter, Strong Tower, my very present help in time of need.
My very present help in time of need."
I give testimony to the Lord being my Portion, especially as I journey into the 4th week of being at my Dad's bedside. Speaking of which...we had encouraging news last night which I wrote about on my blog. A Dr. is FINALLY stepping in and wanting to get to the bottom of my Dad's concerns. May the Lord give him wisdom. Praising the Lord this morning.
Two other verses in our reading also held my attention: Joshua 15:19, Acsah asked of Caleb, "Give me another gift. You have already given me...now please give me..." Pondering how often I've been dissatisfied with the gifts the Lord has given me and asked for more.
Also, Joshua 13: 1, the Lord said to Joshua, "You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered." I too am "growing old(er)" and "much land" still "remains to be conquered", eg. conquer fears etc... A Beth Moore quote comes to mind: "Satan is standing on your God-given ground, daring you to take possession of it".
Let's move forward today ladies, with our Portion, taking possession of all that is already ours in Christ.
Love & prayers for you all,
Joy
PS. And yes, Diane, my toe-nails are painted...a pretty, sparkling, pink!
Another good morning! Hasn't it been a wonderful week so far? Honestly, last week I was peeking ahead and thought "How will we ever find much in next week's readings". It appeared to just be a bunch of directions to land I couldn't even imagine. I guess that really, God's word is a bunch of directions to a place (Heaven) that my mind can't comprehend how good it's going to be. Our inheritance is going to be great, isn't it! God's plans for our future is better than we can really comprehend. It's just the journey in getting there that can be rough. I make fun of the Isrealite's ... thinking how could they forget what God has done for them and yet I know that I am no better. Even though we may not remain faithful every 24/7, He remains true to His word. God remembered his promise to Caleb when others may have forgot.
Joy, I am rejoycing with you...great news about your dad!
Looking forward to reading the rest of today's posts and starting a new prayer journal; the suggestion yesterday was a great one.
Love,
Nancy
Morning Dear Gals~
The LORD is my portion. I'm going to bank on that all day long. We are only on this Earth for a blink of an eye. Our Earthly posessions really don't matter do they? The LORD himself is my inheritance.
Love that!
Caleb waited 45 years for his Land. Am I that patient? And, would I be one of those "spys" that complained and gave up when their circumstances looked too difficult. I pray that I will be faithful and believe in God and His power to take care of whatever the circumstance might lie ahead of me.
Joy, praying that the doctor is full of wisdom today...
Lifting up Diane today as she travels to VA for her Culinary competition...praying for her health and her strength...
And praying for our special group too! God is good to bring all of us together...I never knew how possible it was to dive and sink into God's Word...and to spend some time in it...and doing it with sister's with the same enjoyment...oh, it just doesn't get any better than that!!! Love you all!
Lori - Mesa, AZ
PS I did pick up a bright pink journal last night! Since I'm the only female under this roof, anytime I can get some pink in the picture, it'a a good day. Doesn't take much to bring me a bit of joy!
:)
Wendy,
I just wanted to drop in and tell you how much I appreciate you time and dedication to the Lord. I read your posts daily and receive a blessing each day. Thanks for motivating me! There are several women in my community that are reading with us!
Love and prayers,
Carrie
Hi
A friend needed this today. I sent it to her. Perhaps someone else needs to hear it too. It has the word inheritance in it.
The Lord himself is my in heritance, my prize. He is my food and drink, my highest joy! He guards all that is mine. He sees that I am given pleasant brooks and meadows as my share! What a wonderful inheritance! I will bless the Lord who counsels me; He gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do. I am, always thinking of the Lord; and because He is so near, I never have need to stumble or fall. Heart, body, and soul are filled with joy. For You will not leave me among the dead; You will not allow your beloved one to rot in the grave. You have let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasure of your own eternal presence. Psalm 16:5-11 The Living Bible
Hello everyone,
Well I can only say Dito!
Joy - Love that song.
My prayers go to each of you for strength and courage to face you own trial. Isn't it awesome, Wendy prays for all of us, all of us pray for each other and for Wendy. This is truly awesome.
The journal of each other is a great idea, a group praise report keeper. THanks Diane.
Thanks to all of you. Especially you Wendy.
Lynn - OR
Here are some of the key phrases that spoke to me today and made me ponder upon them: "just as the Lord commanded." Does the Lord command us today? What does he command of us and are we listening for those commands?
"Remember what the Lord said to Moses the man of God..." "someone who wholeheartedly followed the Lord." What does it take for me to "wholeheartedly follow the Lord"? What does that mean for you? Please share your insights about this with me and the others if you have an insight.
Time and the management of my time seem to be an issue for me in wholeheartedly following the Lord. If I could only "wholeheartedly" say each day "Lord, my time is your time!"
I am currently retired after 30 years of being a Preschool Director and Teacher. Twenty-three of those years I was blessed with being the Director of our Church's Preschool. I was so totally devoted to this, I felt, God given position. It became a part of who I was...it became my identity. Which is not a good and healthy thing. I was totally humbled by going through a deep depression that I had never experienced before. But as Romans 8:28 says God makes good of all things for those that love him and are called to his purpose. Well I found the purpose that was needed the same year as I was recovering was that my Mom was diagnosed with cancer. Now without going into detail at this time, My mom's and my relationship had been a roller coaster ride throughout life to say the least. We were in realtionship then out of relationship so many times. It just never seemed to get better so that we could just stay in relationship...life circumstances just got in the way. Any way my therapist at the time felt that I should not be the one to take my mom in to care for her because it might cause me to go into a relapse. I had always said that I wouldn't take mom in and she always said she never wanted to live with me either. So at first I was relieved I didn't have to because it would be bad for me healthwise to do so. But guess what, God called and I answered Yes! I will serve...I will make the decision to love at this tough time in both of our lives. I was so richly rewarded during the 7 months I cared for my mom. She was in our home until her death. You see August is a busy time for a Preschool Director as I was usually preparing for the new school year. I wouldn't of had time to say yes to her care. But since I took a leave of absence due to the drepression and recovery time it took I felt I didn't have a purpose. So in away I guess I could say here that God "commanded" me to do so. I would rather say he gave me the opportunity to do so. I will never regret saying Yes! There were so many mini-rewards to share during this span of 7 months but not enough space to go into each one at this time. Perhaps they will arise at a later time. I claimed Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through him who gives me strength. And strength he did give me to "fight the battle" before me. God gave me the emotional and physical strength, the patience, the extra dose of love and care needed to serve with a loving heart. This reminds me of another scripture, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men." Ephesians 6:7. This surely couldn't be by my own effort alone. I asked my Mom one day when I was at her feet giving her a foot spa, "Am I surprising you? She looked at me and said a little reluctantly, "Well, yes, I guess so." "I want you to know this is the Debbie other people get to see, this is who I am."
For t hat total 7 months God gave me the time to do what he "commanded" or gave me the opportunity to do. And I must add a loving and understanding husband that supported and helped out where he was able. I was able to share with my mom a few days before she died, " Mom our relationship seems complete, we have come full circle. I've really enjoyed spending this time with you. If I had to be humbled in order to do so then this time has been my reward...my light out of the darkness. Hmmmm sharing this personal witness leads me to believe that if we need help to wholeheartedly follow him....He will find a way to help us do so. Thank-you God...you are soooo good! Amen Debbie in Illinois
PS...Lori, my journal is also a bright pink! Deb in Illinois
My travels to a different part of the state caused me to read yesterday's comments this morning. It's amazing that I have been thinking about time management all this week. It's a challenge to get it all done! However, I believe if we have the desire to spend time with the Lord he will give us that desire of our heart. It may not always be like we planned, but it will bless the Lord and in return bless our lives and the lives of people God put in our paths. I think we have to be sensitive to what condemns us and what convicts us. God convicts us to change the enemy condemns us to think we can never be what God has called us to be. So Ladies, we can not compare our time with another. We have to find that "peace" that Wendy mentioned with what time we are giving to God. I am so wanting every minute of my life to be a prayer, praise or meditation unto my Lord. It's not the quantity of time, but the quality of time and the motive behind what we do in the Lord's name that matters most to him. I just felt led to share that. I know we have different levels of maturity reading and posting and I just want everyone to know to keep doing what you are doing and the more you desire to be with the Lord, God will "cause" that desire to be filled. He who hungers and thirst after righteous shall be filled.
Praying God will cause my life to be a just weight in his sight. Proverbs 11:1
P.S. - Deb in Illinois, I think only God can testify whether or not we are wholeheartly obeying him. Remember Abraham, Sarah, Job, Moses and David all had times when they did not wholeheartly obey God, yet God testified they obeyed him completely.
Thank God he forgets when others remember!!!
Sorry for the long post, I guess you can tell I'm not at work today. :-)
Blessings!!!
Debbie - North Carolina
My first read-thru came up empty - and I know God's word does not return empty! So I read again... and sure enough God have me two nuggets.
I was humbled by Caleb's faith (Josh 14:6-15). He was given a promise that took 45 years to fulfill. Caleb wandered the wilderness, and then fought many battles; yet he remained faithful and "wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God." Even without the promised land, Caleb considered himself blessed with protection in battle, good health, and strength.
And I loved that Caleb wasn't hindered by his old age - he was still willing to go to battle to claim his portion "just as the Lord said." How easy it is to give up when the going gets tough... a very humbling read.
The other nugget was reading about Caleb's daughter Acsah. Caleb had given a generous gift already, and when Acsah asked for springs of water too, he gave her TWO springs! How often do we fail to ask our Father, when He would gladly give it to us... and more?
Think about this... when your daughter (or son) asks for $5 to go to the mall, you get in your purse and hand her $5. No big deal, she asked, you gave. Maybe you would even give her $10 since she's been so sweet lately :)
But, if your daughter had not asked for $5 you probably wouldn't have given it to her... simply because she didn't ask.
I have learned to be content, but I still ask anyway... sometimes my Daddy loves to slip a little extra blessing in :)
Thank-you Debbie in N Carolina for your insights and comments. God truly is the one who knows!
I also agree with you about the time of day each one us is able to spend with God. I certainly do not mean to be judgemental of others and when they spend their time with the Lord... when I say I like starting my day with Bible study as it just works best for me. I judge God is with us each moment of the day to be in communication with Him.
I love the book, "The practice of the Presence Of God." by brother Lawrence He states in his book, "The presence of God is the concentration of the soul's attention on God, remembering that he is always present." and
"By practicing God's presence and continuouly looking at Him the soul familiarizes itself with Him to the extent that it passes almost it's whole life in continual acts of love, praise, confidence, thanksgiving, offering, and petition. Sometimes all this may merge into one single act that does not end, because the soul is always in the ceaseless exercise of God's divine presence."
God is always accessible even at times we may not feel His presence. Debbie in Illinois
Joyful - I was singing that same song in my heart as I read today too.
Love reading all of the comments.
He is indeed our Portion!
Wow Illinois Debbie...that quote from brother Lawrence is amazing. Thank you for sharing...I intend to write it down as a keeper.
busy day...busy night...
Morgen - MN
Hi,
Oh, there are so many things I want to share, but can't because of time...today at my Bible Study, Beth Moore (Esther, anyone else taking this?) she left us with a quote from The Queen and I. To paraphrase it , he stated: Neighbor's and acquaintances do not care whether we have a "relationship" with Jesus Christ...it is our "resemblance to Him that counts." Do we act like Christ to those unbelievers observing us? How I want my light to shine to the point where others want what I have! It all comes down to LOVING and giving ourselves to other's...
Debbie, someone else mentioned that book, The practice of the Presence of God...I'm going to look for it.
For the last couple of years I've been wondering how to feel God throughout the day...I even began "talking" to Him about this...He's been working in me over the last 2 years...bit by bit, He's been revealing Himself to me. I've asked him to give me a desire to understand His Word and to help me organize my day to get everything done that I need to do....He's opened my eyes like I never thought possible. He's given me a desire that blows my socks off! Think about it...if one of our kids said, "Mom I want to spend time with you, how can we do that?" (Other than fall over dead, remember I've got the 2 teenage boys!!! heeh) I'd immediately have a fist-full of ideas....I think, no I know, dear sister's our GOD is the same...He's dying to walk with us... I tured 50 last Thanksgiving Day...I've been a Christian all my life-I don't remember not knowing God; however, I did not walk with Him...how sad is that? I did not know what I was missing...but, I'll say for one thing...50 is the BEST! :) What a treat I'm getting this year-long with you all!!!
And, yes Dear Susan, we are blessed to have Wendy praying for us and the rest of us praying for each other....Can you imagine prayer's coming in from all over the nation! God will bless us all, I know it for a fact. If I had wings I'd fly all around and give each one of you hug! :)
Whewie, I'm late...need to get going...nice to pop in and share some time with you all this
afternoon! Thank you for a boost of Jesus!
Lori - Mesa, AZ
Thank you Debbie in Illinois and everyone for sharing today! Debbie, your story of service to your mother was truly moving! There are so many "give back" circles in that story; the opportunity to give love to your mother as God has given love to you, the opportunity to mend a relationship and forgive as God has forgiven, the ability to allow your mother to rest in you as we can rest in God. It is great!
Susan, I was struck by Caleb's faithfulness too. Did you notice when he said in Chapter 14:11, "I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. (AT 85!!!)" I confess, it made me smile... Joshua and Caleb were the only “gray hairs” among the Israelites. No-one else over the age of 59 was alive to enter the Promised Land. I ponder that too, not sure where my ponderings will lead me.
Thank you for your illustration of the willingness of our Father to grant us our requests. That also gave me much food for thought.
Thanks again everyone!
Karen, CA
I loved reading that the Lord is my portion, I am going to have to start putting signs all over my house as reminders of these things that are so awesome. I often deal with depression and reading through the Bible with my sisters in Christ has helped me not feel so alone. You are all so insightful and generous with your words and stories. I can't thank you enough Wendy for what you are doing and for the rest of you being so selfless, a hard quality to find in our hard world today.
Debbie In Illonois, I was very touched by your story about your mom. I, also, have an off and on relationship with my mom. I have always wondered how the Lord would bring about resolution between us. I have apologized to her many times for my rebellion and disobedience as a child and have told her in love ways she has hurt me but she does not have the ability yet to take responsibility for her shortcomings and I have to accept that and love her anyway, but it is not easy. I feel very encouraged after hearing your story.
I have only posted a couple of times because even if I see something in God's word it is so hard to put it in writing, sometimes I will come and read your comments before I read God's word because it helps me to see things I might have previously missed. I hope that is not a bad thing. Please pray for me to have more confidence in who I am in Christ.
Joy, I truly pray for the Lord to give the Dr. wisdom in dealing with your dad's situation, and I thank God that you have such a wonderful dad. Your inner beauty comes out through your post and I love what you write.
Diane, I have been through divorce and it is a hard thing, but I believe there are many treasures before you, it is in our hardest times that God's love comes through the strongest, sometimes hard to see at first, but as we begin to heal there is such a beauty we experience in Christ, it cannot be explained, it is perfect, as God is perfect.
I love that I am prayed for by women I don't even know, it gives me hope, I will also pray for you and all of you are always in my thoughts.
I ask that you also pray for my unbelieving husband, as I get a wonderful nugget from God my husband is quick to try to steal my joy. He is very angry and cruel with his words and it has really taken it's toll on me. I try to be Christ like with him but I fail a lot, it is just so hurtful. Anyways, I want to be a part of the posting, so I thought today a good day to start.
It is around 80 degrees here in Lewisville, Texas, I am not quite ready for the warm weather, the summers here are so hot. But today I know that the Lord is my portion.
I hope you all have a blessed rest of the day.
Debra in Texas
Love that Word!!!!!!!!!!!! We are His...and He is ours...our Portion...forever! Praise His Name!
I love you, Sis!
Wendy...I needed to hear that Psalm.
"He guards all that is mine...I will bless the Lord who counsels me; He gives me wisdom in the night. He tells me what to do."
My prayer tonight has been for wisdom. Big meeting tomorrow afternoon at 2pm with my Mom, my sister, myself, two Dr's, social worker, Director of surgical care and another director at the hospital regarding my Dad's care and all that lies ahead. So nervous. We didn't ask for this meeting. Praying that God's presence will fill the room and that He alone will guide the conversation. Although my family is frustrated on many counts, we want to be a faithful witness and testimony to our Lord.
Was at the hospital until 8:30pm tonight. Dad has been moved to a private room with a round-the-clock security guard because he can become very violent in the evening. My heart broke tonight as his mind is so confused. He believes he is being held on a sinking ship and he's going to drown. There was no consoling him. He won't allow himself to go to sleep because he feels if he does he will never wake up. I prayed with him before I left and asked the Lord to be Captain of his ship and to bring it safely to shore so Dad can rest. He's beside himself with worry. It's just so sad.
Thanks for this encouragement tonight that the Lord can bring wisdom in the night. We are all at such a loss as to what to do.
Resting in Him,
Joy
Debra in TX, I hear your heart about your husband. I have been there, and am there still at times. I can't tell the details, but God knows. I have taken something that I learned from Beth Moore in her study Believing God that has really helped me. She made a list of things that God says we are, from Eph. 1:3-7. They are my life line. I have them on a card by my bed where I can look at them anytime...though I have memorized them now. God says we are
Loved
Blessed
CHOSEN (one that really helps me
ACCEPTED(He has accepted ME)
ADOPTED
Redeemed
Forgiven.
I think of each of them as I say them in my mind. Even when I am trash, or nothing to my husband I am still CHOSEN, ACCEPTED,and ADOPTED by God. Awesome!
I have turned Ps 94:19 into a prayer, "Lord, when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, QUIET ME and give me renewed hope and cheer". Sometimes I pray it a doz. times before I can feel the stress leaving me.
Hang in there, dear sister in Christ, you are not alone...you are being prayed for...
Jan TN
Thank you Jan in TN for the encouragement, it means so much to me. I will use your list and memorize the prayer to help me with dealing with my husband.
May God Bless You,
Debra Tx
Hi Wendy,
I've been holding on to and praying Lamentations 3:24 for quite sometime now. And I realized I was focusing on that part "therefore I will hope in Him" only. It struck me...I don't know what the first part means. I prayed and asked friends...but I didn't get the satisfaction my heart and mind is longing for. Again, this morning I asked God to make it clear to me what He means, that He knows me perfectly and He knows the kind of explanation I truly seek. During my lunch break today, I turned again to Google and God led me to your site.
I don't how to express what I felt after reading your blog. I really praise God that He answered me in a way that I could really comprehend and satisfy me deeply.
This is the very first time I commented on a blog...I don't want to let this chance pass without letting you know that I appreciate your heart to minister to others.
God bless you!
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