#DailyDevotion What have your replaced Jesus with?
January 19th
Read Ezek 44:1–16, 23–29
Ezekiel 44:28-30 “This shall be their inheritance: I am their inheritance: and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession. (29) They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs. (30) And the first of all the firstfruits of all kinds, and every offering of all kinds from all your offerings, shall belong to the priests. You shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, that a blessing may rest on your house.
The Levites were to have no share in the land of Israel, though they did have some dedicated towns when Israel first possessed the land. But since the Mosaic covenant, their inheritance was God himself. They also received all that the people dedicated and sacrificed to God. There can be no greater inheritance than God.
In the New Testament, we all have become priest of God, as Peter says, 1 Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priest-hood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Everyone one baptized into Christ is now a priest of God. As a priest, you have an inheritance. Peter says, 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,…”
And what might inheritance be? We shall inherit the earth. We shall inherit the kingdom of God. We shall inherit eternal life. Indeed, like the Levites we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ Jesus. Joined to him in holy baptism, everything that is Christ is ours. That should be enough. If it is not, then your priorities are all wrong. If you lose everything and you’re not happy, what have you replaced with Jesus. Jesus is our joy.
Heavenly Father, keep your promise and give us the guarantee our inheritance, the Holy Spirit, that on the day of resurrection, we may see and receive our inheritance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.