“The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:5,6).
TEXT — Psalm 16:1-11
Message
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the first African Secretary General of the United Nations, has more than a passing interest in politics. His grandfather, Boutros Ghali, the only Christian prime minister of Egypt, was shot by an assassin in 1910. Cairo crowds hailed his Moslem killer, but the family did not intend anyone to forget the grandfather. They adopted his given name, Boutros (Peter), and anointed the new grandchild with the same given name. The family then built a church in Cairo to honour the martyred patriarch. On his tomb were the words, “God is witness that I served my country to the best of my ability,” says Boutros-Ghali. “For a boy to grow up with such things creates an impact. I felt I would betray the tradition of our family if I didn’t play a political role.”
The “golden psalm,” under review today, expresses a confident expectation of eternal life and happiness, founded on the evidence of true attachment to God, who is the portion and goodly heritage of the righteous. The knowledge of God is the greatest inheritance we can leave behind for our children. Such is a goodly inheritance that cannot be equated with earthly possessions. It will ultimately take one to heaven, the heritage of the righteous.
As we are faced with the uncertainties of life and the vagaries of economic and social turmoil, how comforting it will be to always remember that we have a God who cares and watches over us and all that we own. He will always make ‘the lines to fall unto us in pleasant places’.
Our duty, however, will be to ensure that we remain faithful to Him, encourage everyone to live a life of holiness and serve the Lord in order to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints here and in the world to come.
Thought for the day
A godly inheritance cannot be equated with earthly possessions.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
God with us