THE INHERITANCE

The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed I have a beautiful inheritance.
~Psalm 16:6 ESV~

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We learned that God has made us heiresses - and co-heirs with Christ. We learned that our lives are never left to chance.

We learned that we have an inheritance that consists of
PRESENCE
PEOPLE
PROPERTY
As New Testament believers we are priests - and like the Levites
in the OT - our property is the PRESENCE of God Himself.
We inherit PEOPLE - those whom God places around us
in community who share our inheritance or will be blessed by it.
Our PROPERTY is His Presence - but it is also the process of
Christ redeeming our pasts, our life experiences and
our spiritual gifts
in the intimacy with God that we embrace.

We learned that we have a 'field'! Many of us were excited to embrace
that concept of being 'stewards over' our earthly properties - and learning
that we are to 'harvest' those fields to the very edges
with other believers who have the same fields assigned to them.
We are to work together for kingdom purposes - not separately.

We learned that fully inheriting what God has promised us

demands enduring faith and patience while in complete

OBEDIENCE

to what God has called us to be and do.

The Kingdom of God is within us now

but we will inherit a kingdom that will ultimately

be lived out in eternity with Christ as King.

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1 Peter 1:3-7

Praise to God for a Living Hope

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

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Choosing JOY in being Heiresses,

Stephanie

and those who studied hard this round: Dawn, Joan, Jane, Pat, Linda, Kathy, Tracie, Leeann, Mary, [Me], Donna, Cheryl, Sheryl, Linda, Chris, Bonnie, Annette, Donna, Stephanie, Lynne.

PS: We missed those of you who could not make it to the dinner: Shirley, Tiara, Gail, and Claire.

THY WORD

Psalm 119 The Message
a paraphrase [selected verses]

1-6 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God.

You're blessed when you follow His directions, doing your best to find Him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road He set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now You expect us to live it.

Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course You set;

17-18 Be generous with me and I'll live a full life; not for a minute will I take my eyes off Your road. Open my eyes so I can see what You show me of Your miracle-wonders. I'm a stranger in these parts; give me clear directions. My soul is starved and hungry, ravenous!— insatiable for Your nourishing commands.

41-48 Let Your love, God, shape my life with salvation, exactly as You promised; Then I'll be able to stand up to mockery because I trusted Your Word. Don't ever deprive me of truth, not ever— Your commandments are what I depend on.

Oh, I'll guard with my life what You've revealed to me, guard it now, guard it ever; and I'll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for Your truth and Your wisdom; then I'll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed. I cherish Your commandments—oh, how I love them!— relishing every fragment of Your counsel.

129-136 Every word You give me is a miracle word— how could I help but obey? Break open Your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. Mouth open and panting, I wanted Your commands more than anything. Turn my way, look kindly on me, as You always do to those who personally love You. Steady my steps with Your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me. Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women so I can live life Your way. Smile on me, Your servant; teach me the right way to live. I cry rivers of tears because nobody's living by Your book!

169-176 Let my cry come right into Your presence, God; provide me with the insight that comes only from Your Word. Give my request Your personal attention, rescue me on the terms of Your promise. Let praise cascade off my lips; after all, You've taught me the truth about life! And let Your promises ring from my tongue; every order You've given is right.

Put Your hand out and steady me since I've chosen to live by Your counsel. I'm homesick, God, for Your salvation; I love it when You show Yourself! Invigorate my soul so I can praise You well, use Your decrees to put iron in my soul. And should I wander off like a lost sheep—seek me! I'll recognize the sound of Your voice. [emphasis added]

I love the TRUTH of God's Word, even when I might write it out in my own paraphrase giving understanding to how God wants me to receive it! Nothing watered down here - just a joy to devour the meal He has prepared in this Psalm all about His Word. Let God's Word speak to you today - not matter how He brings it across your path. Let's walk the journey together - in unity rather than division, loving each other rather than condemning. May His TRUTH give you understanding, JOY, peace, and... an ability to follow hard after Him.

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Choosing JOY,

Stephanie