God created us as people of substance and of value and dignity. We have lost this possession or inheritance because of sin and greed. It is time we return to reclaim our possession through the right, appropriate and ordained channel which is through Christ Jesus. We can no longer live with shattered dreams, inordinate ambitions, and wander aimlessly chasing worldly pleasures or hurting our souls.
We have an inheritance in heaven specially made for each and every creation of God for a purpose. Out of this inheritance, God supplies us our needs in this world be it material needs, spiritual needs, psychological needs, emotional needs, physiological needs, social needs, actualization needs or any other needs. What is our possession and where do we keep them?
Where is our possession?
We can preserve our possession and inheritance in only Christ Jesus. In Matthew 6:19-20 Jesus said do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. In essence Jesus says we should connect our hearts to heaven always for the security of our souls. Do we pay heed to this call of Christ Jesus?
Jeremiah 17:11 says like the partridge that gathers a brood which she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool. Proverbs 13:11 says wealth hastily gotten will dwindle, but he who gathers little by little will increase it. Proverbs 28:8 also says that he who augments his wealth by interest and increase gathers it for him who is kind to the poor. We need God’s wisdom in order to preserve our inheritance in him. 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that for who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. Do we have the mind of Christ as Paul the apostle confessed or claimed?
Our greatest and true possession is the state of our spiritual lives with God. Anything first stems from sin. Let us take back our foremost possession which is life in Christ Jesus and him crucified for our salvation. Join us in sobriety to stop chasing the world and be content with what we have. Matthew 6:33 says that but seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. What is the possession you want to return to? We want Jesus, what about you?
Preserving our possession
To take possession of what God has given to us, we must prepare towards it, Deuteronomy 2:36. Preparation includes waiting on God through prayer and meditation in sobriety and obedience. We must listen to God’s instructions, Deuteronomy 3:6. We must obey God’s statutes and ordinances, Deuteronomy 4:13. We must be brave and positive without slack for God, Joshua 18:3. In other words we must trust God to lead us in our battles till conquest for it is the Lord’s battle, 1 Samuel 17:47.
Upon taking possession and intending to retain it, we must not subscribe to sin or fraternize with worldliness, Deuteronomy 7:2-6. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:17 that come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. We must not do anything on our own without first seeking God’s approval. Philippians 4:6 says that in prayer and supplication we should make your request known to God. Let us trust Jesus with our requests.
How are we prepared?
We must be prepared to take back our possessions. We cannot continue to grieve God by dissipating the possession of godliness and dignity that God has given us. Genesis 6:6 says and the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. We have still not changed but keep hurting God and his son Jesus Christ even after suffering for us on the cross the most vicious, heinous, barbaric and cruel death of all generations.
Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 4:30 that do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed for the day of redemption. Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:15-14-30 is worthy of reading and scripturally elucidating about what God will do to us if we waste our possession. God wants our possession to be and remain pure without any adulteration. He has given to everyone as he is able to handle God’s glory and not to please Satan. We must be humble as doves but wise as serpents.
True possession
We must not confuse every wealth we have as true possession or inheritance from God. True possession comes from only God through Christ Jesus and no other source. Paul says in Ephesians 5:5 that be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous (that is, an idolator), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Colossians 3:24 confirms that knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you are serving the Lord Christ.
Most of our earthly possessions are made from other people unjustly, particularly from the poor. Exodus 23:6 and Leviticus 23:3 say you shall not pervert justice due to your poor in his suit. You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, Deuteronomy 24:14. We must always remember that the Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, and also exalts, 1 Samuel 2:7. We also read from Proverbs 19:17 that he who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deeds.
Proverbs 22:16 however says that he who oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or give to the rich, will only come to want. Haggai 2:8 says that silver is mine, and gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. However, the name of Jesus is the most precious of all possessions more than silver and gold and by which we can retain our soul and rescue it from perishing. Peter demonstrated this in Acts 3:6. The Ten Commandments say that we must not covet what belongs to our neighbor. What is our possession?
Prayer
Our Lord Jesus Christ, we have known that our possession is the talents which you have graciously given us to appropriate to your glory and honour. As we yearn to repossess what we have lost through sin, give us your grace to seek your face in every step we take. In your blessed holy name we pray, Amen!!
