Genesis 15:2
“But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
INSIGHT
-Inheritance in Hebrew is written as nachalah & it means property, estate, possession, heritage & legacy. Inheritance refers to actual property or goods received after a family member’s death. According to the Jewish customs; inheritance was distributed to the deceased bloodline; as it in many societies today. According to the Bible references, larger tribes in Israel were give more inheritance (Num 26:52-55), all tribes were given inheritance except Levi for God was their inheritance (Jos 13:33), Rachel & Leah lamented the loss of their inheritance (Gen 31:14), the land of Canaan has been described as Israelites eternal possession (Ps 105:10-11), promised inheritance specifies those who fear the Lord & will inherit the world as an everlasting possession (Ps 25:12-13; Ps 37:29; Isa 54:3), the meek will inherit the earth (Ps 37:11; Mat 5:5), wisdom is good with an inheritance & profitable (Ecc 7:11), a young rich ruler asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Mat 19:16), God’s promise of inheritance to Abraham was based on faith not by works of the law (Rom 4:14 ; Gal 3:18), angels minister to those who will inherit salvation (Heb 1:14), having been justified by his grace we are heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7), unbelievers will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10 ; Gal 5:19-21 ; Eph 5:5), Christians are heirs of God along with Abraham & Christ (Gal 3:29) etc.
-According to the above scripture; Abraham had no child to inherit his estate & Eliezer his oldest servant who ruled over his household would take over (Gen 24:2). According to the rules of inheritance; if a man died; his son would inherit his estate, if he had no son; his daughter would inherit him. If he had no daughter; his brothers would take over. If he had no brothers then his father’s brothers would inherit him. If his father had no brothers; then the nearest relative in his clan would take charge of his property (Num 27:8-11). God promised Abraham many descendants & land as an eternal covenant which was sealed by circumcision. Christ became our circumcision that we may put away sin & receive our inheritance through faith as Abraham did (Rom 4:13-14) & share in His eternal inheritance as His sons (Rom 8:17).
PRAYER
Lord our Father receive all the glory & praise for You have enabled us to see this day. You made an everlasting covenant Lord; with our father Abraham to give him many descendants & land as an eternal possession which we are also partakers through faith in Christ, have mercy on us Lord & bring this covenant to completion in our lives, families & the whole world. Remember Father all those couples who remain childless that You may bless them & make their quivers full of children according to Your merciful love. Amen
Matthew 21:38
“But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’”
INSIGHT
-Jesus told a parable of a landowner who planted a vineyard, built a hedge around it, developed a wine press & tower in it, & leased it to vinedressers. When the harvest time drew near, the landowner sent his servants to collect his fruit but the vinedressers seized them; beat one, killed another & stoned a third. When he sent his son, the evil men killed him with the intention of taking over his estate. Such evil occurrences have been evidenced often times in our societies today where many have lost their father’s inheritance & financial resources. God sent His only begotten Son Jesus; to bring salvation into the world but some did not believe in Him & others nailed Him on the cross. We are told that those who do not believe in Christ & exercise evil deeds will not inherit His kingdom (Gal 5:19-21). Christ reminds us that we all have sinned & fallen short of His glory but He justifies us freely through His grace (Rom 3:23-24). He calls each one of us to share in His coming this Christmas with repentance, reconciliation, forgiveness, mercy, humility, godliness, faith, love & good works; according to His will.
PRAYER
Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, Hosanna in the highest. With humility in our hearts we seek Your mercy Jesus, give us the grace to forgive those who have offended us, pardon our sins & cover us with Your precious blood. Go before us Father & make the crooked paths straight; break the gates of bronze & cut the bars of iron, give us the treasures of darkness & hidden riches of secret places. Fight for us Lord that whatever has been lost or stolen by the evil one may be restored for You give victory to Your anointed ones. We humbly ask You Lord to guide & protect us during this festive season for Your name sake. Amen
Proverbs 19:14
“Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD.”
INSIGHT
-Unlike inheritance which is given by the fathers; a prudent wife is a gift from God. A discreet & virtuous wife is more valuable than inheritance for one who finds a good wife finds a good thing a obtains favor from the Lord (Prov 18:22). It is through consultation with God who sees all our hearts that a woman receives a good man & a man find a virtuous wife. We cannot ignore the fact that divorce has become more prevalent in the modern world which reminds us to seek direction from the Lord in our relationships & marriages; for God is all knowing & His love for us endures forever.
PRAYER
You are great LORD & greatly deserve all praise. Your greatness is unsearchable; Your love for us Lord endures forever. You foreknew us before the foundations of the earth, worthy is Your name Lord. Have mercy on all the unmarried men & women Father so that they may be joined as one; for You have said in Your word that none shall lack her mate; Your love for us Lord endures forever. Bless all marriages Jesus that they may be successful & that divorce may not overtake them for worthy is Your name Lord. Grant grace to all the divorced that they may find peace in You & may Your will be done in their lives for Your love for us Lord endures forever. Be gracious to all widows & widowers that they may find comfort in Your love for worthy is Your name Lord. Do a new thing in our lives Father & grant us abundant prosperity in all spheres for Your love for us Lord endures forever. Amen
1 Peter 1:3-5
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Peter reveals that our eternal inheritance has been given to us through Christ in new birth by the manifestation of our living hope through His resurrection from the dead. We have been united together in the likeness of Christs’ death & will be resurrected with Him, for He was raised from the death through the glory of the Father so that we may walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4-5). Through Gods’ power; we have been shielded from eternal condemnation through our faith in Christ for we have been chosen by God through His grace. We are called to submit our hearts to God through love for Him, mutual love for one another, & express true faith through our Christian lives in holiness & obedience to Him for our inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade.
PRAYER
You are holy Lord & all creation rightfully give You praise. We thank You for assuring us an eternal inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Give us the wisdom to store up our treasures in heaven where neither moth or rust can destroy nor thieves can break in & steal. Prepare our hearts Jesus through sanctification by Your precious blood this Christmas that we may rejoice in love for You & one others as we celebrate our liberation through faith. We love You Lord for You have always heard our prayers & have loved us with an everlasting love. May Your goodness & mercy follow us all the days of our lives & we shall dwell in Your house forever. Amen
Luke 18:18
“A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
INSIGHT
-A rich young ruler felt deficient of inheriting eternal life despite having a lot of wealth, being in authority & keeping the commandments. When he asked Jesus what ‘he needed to do’ to inherit eternal life; he thought he would have salvation through his own works not knowing that it’s only possible through the mercy & grace of God. Jesus revealed that the man’s love for money was the barrier; for he became sad when he was asked to sell everything he had & give it to the poor thus storing up his wealth in heaven. We note that no amount of material wealth or position can fully satisfy someone but it’s only through Jesus Christ our Lord & Saviour. We also note that selling everything & giving all the money to the poor does not guarantee one eternal life but entry is only through believing in Christ; who is the Door to eternal life. Also; riches do not necessarily hinder one from entering the kingdom of God but it makes it more difficult than a camel to go through the eye of a needle, for one tends to rely on wealth & not on Jesus’ salvation power. God owns the heavens & the earth, & we are His stewards tasked to ensure that we manage our property, gifts, talents & time wisely, & continue doing good works with humility as each one is called. During this Christmas we are reminded to be generous, share our time, resources, gifts & talents with those who need it most, & to seek God wholeheartedly; for only through Him can we inherit eternal life.
SUMMARY
Jesus became the Son of man, died & resurrected for our sake so that the son’s of men may become sons of God & inheritance eternal life through faith. By the birth of Jesus, we believe that God is continually renewing our minds, creating in us clean hearts, giving us fresh revelations, ideas, gifts & talents & birthing new graces in our lives, families & nation for the benefit of many. During this Christmas let us welcome Immanuel; God with us; into our hearts, together with God the Father & the Holy Spirit in the trinity; so that He may make His home in us as we remain in Him & He in us for only in Him are we guaranteed; eternal life.
PRAYER
We welcome You into our heart’s God to remain in our hearts forever. You are the portion of our inheritance & our cup; You maintain our lot, we trust in You Jesus. Through Your birth Jesus; grant us mercy, love, joy, grace & peace in our lives, families, relationships, friendships, marriages, work places, businesses, homes, institutions, societies, nation & the entire world. Help us to reconnect, reconcile, reunite with our families & friends with love during this Christmas festivities, for Your love & mercy endures forever. May Your peace that surpasses all understanding dwell in our hearts & minds, now & forevermore. Amen