It’s Time to Claim What’s Ours!

Of all the people on the earth, God chose Abram. He called him out of his land, his family, and his idol-worshipping background. Then the Lord cut a covenant with him.

He promised to be Abram’s shield and to give him an exceedingly great reward (Gen. 12:1)—i.e. to be His protector and His provision. Furthermore, He promised to give him vast land holdings and descendants as numerous as the stars.

As if that weren’t enough, God promised to be intimate with him. He said, “I will be your God, and you will be My people.” He used possessive pronouns to describe the relationship. The promises were made to Abram and to his children for generations.

Abram, later renamed Abraham, had it made. The Almighty God promised to care for him and to have his back. And his descendants were included too.

After the ritual of cutting the covenant, the Lord further clarified the boundaries of the land that was promised to Abraham.

Genesis 15:18-21 says, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates–the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Abraham didn’t have descendants yet, and somebody else would live in that land for a while—even for generations. But God said, “To your descendants I have given this land.” To God, it was a done deal. He already gave it to them, His chosen people.

The boundaries ran from the Nile in Egypt, to the Euphrates River. The rivers mark the Fertile Crescent, from Egypt all the way from the southeastern point of the Mediterranean Sea, up the Mediterranean Sea and curving in the shape of a crescent, down past Babylon to the Persian Gulf. The route through the Fertile Crescent was over 1,600 miles. The land of the Hittites was also included, extending the territory north and northeast of the Mediterranean.

The land encircled by the crescent is not choice land. It’s full of rocks or is desert. Today it would roughly contain Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, parts of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and the southeastern part of Turkey. That’s quite a territory. And it is the location of the oil wells that have made those nations rich and the people who are determined to wipe Israel off the map.

Even though it was all declared Israel’s, they never settled beyond the strip along the eastern Mediterranean. They didn’t hold to God’s words, “To your descendants I have given this land.”

Instead, they were satisfied with a little strip along the beach. Pagans maintained possession of the rest of their land.

We could exclaim over how short-sighted and foolish they were to not conquer what God had promised. But first, we need to look inward?

Through Jesus Christ, we are part of a new and better covenant. He has given us better promises. He is still our provider and protector, He paid the debt for our sins offering freedom for true intimacy, He is with us always, promised us peace and joy—and so much more.

But, of the riches He’s promised, how much have we—His chosen—claimed? Are we settled in the fullness of the Promised Land? Or are we camping on the beach, struggling to keep our heads up?

How often do we strive without taking thought to claim His protection and/or provision, His strength, grace, or blessings? His peace and joy? Do we really trust Him in all things?

He desires to give us the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Mt.16:19). It’s ours. But, if we’re content where we are, He’ll let us pitch out tents on the beach just as the descendants of Abram did.

Jesus has already done it all. If we’ve claimed Him as our Lord and Savior and are among the chosen, it’s already ours.

But we must believe, seek His face, and step forth in faith.

The New Testament is full of riches we have in and through Jesus Christ. I cannot cover it here, but God tells us, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).

It’s time to claim what’s ours.

Lord, thank you for choosing me. Help me to love you more. Forgive me for my contentment and shortsightedness. Open my eyes and ears to see and hear what You have prepared for me. Give me the faith to follow You without reservation and to know the fullness of life in you. May Your kingdom come, Your will be done, and Your name be glorified through me.

Do You Love Life and Good Days?

Last minute plans prevented me from preparing a blog for today. Rather than post my thoughts, I’d like to share words from the Lord that have been life-giving for me.

The Lord directed me to this passage when I found myself drowning in depression caused by painful, caustic relationships that I didn’t know how to turn around. I went on a solitary retreat to cry out to the Lord for help.

His answer to me was 1 Peter 3:8-9–plus following verses, but those two verses were particularly life-giving to me. Through them, the Lord assured me that He was aware of my pain, and that He wanted to bless me, not harm me. In them He also gave me clear guidelines as to what He wanted from me in response to the antagonism and unfairness that I was experiencing.

God said to me:

“Finally, all of you:

Be of one mind, having compassion for one another;
Love as brothers,
Be tenderhearted,
Be courteous;
Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling,
but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (vv. 8-9)

“For He who would love life and see good days:

Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (1 Pet. 3:8-12)

Do you love life and want to see good days, but you aren’t experiencing it now? Don’t give up! If you are seeking the Lord, He is with you and will not leave you. Hang in there and follow these guidelines, and you will–in His time–inherit a blessing. For you were called for this!

Are You Missing Out on God’s Blessings?

For many people, this year’s Easter celebration is barely a memory. New fancy clothes have been put away and goodies left by the mythical rabbit are all gone—except maybe the ones still hiding among the fading daffodil leaves.

It’s been years since I’ve appreciated hiding colored eggs as an appropriate way to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, this year God spoke to me through those colored eggs.

About a week after Easter, Shirley, a friend, reported on Facebook that she’d found three eggs still resting comfortably in the side yard. They were quite visible and easy to see even after the grass had grown for another week, so she wondered how they’d been missed.

A couple of weeks later, Shirley reported on Facebook that she had a dream about Easter eggs. She dreamed she was in the yard of her childhood and she discovered “an abundance of hidden Easter eggs” along the left side of the driveway. Many were lying out in the open, so it was unbelievable that they hadn’t been found. Consequently, in the dream, Shirley gathered “a bunch of kids” to hunt the eggs.

She said, “I gave specific directions as to where they [eggs] were and told them the boundaries. But they didn’t listen and still didn’t find them all and ran all over the place. I kept yelling to make them hear but they didn’t pay attention.”

Shirley added, “They should pay attention and follow directions! . . . I woke myself up yelling about where to find the eggs!”

I wonder, how close do you think the actions of the children in Shirley’s dream coincide with our lives as God attempts to bless us with special treats?

I’m afraid we have way too much in common with the children in the dream.

After all, our instructions are not just verbal. God orchestrated a lot of people to write down the directions, so we can refer back to them when we need clarification. He even included stories of people who’ve gone before us so we can know what leads to finding His blessing.

He also told us where to search, telling us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). And He gave us boundaries—the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:1-17) and directions—the great commission (Mt. 28:19-20).

But, too often we’re like the children in the dream. We don’t pay attention or follow directions. Instead, we distract ourselves. We’re driven by our own lusts, by our friends, or the glitter of the world. We’re buried under activities, interests, and responsibilities and blinded by false hopes and dreams. Consequently, we miss the treasures and rewards that are waiting all around us.

Those blessings are waiting for us. We’ll find them if we listen to His voice and follow directions.

His voice. In the dream, Shirley was yelling at the kids. But the Lord rarely yells. First, He speaks in a gentle, loving whisper, inviting us to the prize. Any yelling or harsh encounter is used only as a last resort, when we need a drastic change of direction and we aren’t hearing Him call. If it is loud and harsh (such as a tragedy or difficult trial) it’s a sharp attempt to bring us back to the blessing that we’re missing.

Easter has passed, but the chance for heavenly blessings hasn’t. New life in Christ because of the resurrection is still very much available.

With the distractions within and around us, it’s easy to miss what God has for us.

The Lord longs to bless you and me, but He limits His special blessings to those whose hearts are His, those who love, fear, hear, and obey Him. It’s important that we listen and obey. (Ps. 128, Deut. 28,)

It’s been a long time since I hunted eggs and I’m ok with that. But I don’t want to miss a treat that the Lord has prepared for me. Especially if I’m the cause for missing out. Nor do I want the Lord to have to yell at me because I’m not paying attention.

Without Him and His blessings, I’m nothing. I need His love, joy, peace, and grace for each day. I also need the gifts of the Spirit and want to gather any and all the blessings He’s prepared for me. What about you?

Robert & Kay Camenisch encouraging and equipping relationships