Develope a Palate

Develope a Palate
Daily intake of the Word nourishes the Spirit. Jeremiah's Menu is an exercise in recognizing God's Word made flesh in and around me. Eating the Word in a way that supplies the spiritual nutrients needed to grow. The Menu is offered with the hope of inspiring you to taste and see that the Lord is good. Bon Appetite!

Quote Du Jour

Quote du Jour
Christians may differ on a variety of points, but they have all one spiritual appetite; and if we cannot all feel alike, we can all feed alike on the bread of life sent down from heaven. At the table of fellowship with Jesus we are one bread and one cup. As the loving cup goes round we pledge one another heartily therein. Get nearer to Jesus, and you will find yourself linked more and more in spirit to all who are like yourself, supported by the same heavenly manna. ---Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Psalm 119:Chet

Eight letters into the Hebrew aleph-bet brings us to Chet.

Pronunciation is a little difficult for this one... chet is a guttural letter. The sound of the "ch" is a light scraping sound from the back of the throat, as in "Bach" and it rhymes with "mate". Give it a try... maybe one more time... Oh well...

Read Psalm 119:57-64

Chet is for "portion" -- an individual's part or share in something, i.e., inheritance or gift.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land each family received a designated "portion" of ground. It belonged to them. Their inheritance was their home and their livelihood -- a precious symbol of their freedom. All the families received acreage except the Levites, who were appointed as the priests. They received God as their portion (see Deuteronomy 10:9 and Numbers 18:20). Perhaps the psalmist was a Levite or at least had the heart of one...

You are my portion, O Lord....

The Levites were the only ones who could enter the temple -- the place where God's presence resided. This family of priests had a special relationship with God: they served Him by caring for the temple, and they served the people by interceding before God on their behalf. Land was not their inheritance, God was.

In Christ, we too are chosen to be part of a royal priesthood.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1Peter 2:9

Just like the Levites, the inheritance we gain is not temporal -- there is no plot of land or anything physical which we can claim as our own. Upon receiving Christ Jesus as Lord, we enter the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not a place -- it's not heaven -- there is nothing physical. God is spirit, therefore He has no physical kingdom, even though everything seen and unseen belongs to Him, His realm is spiritual.

Our inheritance in the Kingdom is a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Through His Son, we gain access to Him and, for now, we relate to Him through the Holy Spirit. We live by different rules... the rules of God's Kingdom.

You are my portion, O Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
Psalm 119:57

We long for an intimate relationship with God -- He is our portion!

I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
Psalm 119:58

We desire to be on good terms with our King. We are quick to obey, in the midst of attack we cling to His promises, all hours of the night we thank Him, His friends are our friends.

We no longer need to cling to anything in this world. It has nothing for us. God as our great inheritance through Christ is the truth behind the parables of the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price. There is no greater treasure in this world than God as our portion.

The earth is filled with your love, O Lord; teach me your decrees.
Psalm 119:64

His love fills the earth... Can you see it? As we eat God's Word and grow in our understanding of and relationship with God, we begin to encounter His Word made flesh. In those moments He lifts the veil between this world and His Kingdom -- we come face-to-face with His love on a whole new level.

Embrace your inheritance: You are my portion, O Lord.

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