Dear church,

God gave his people the land of Canaan. The land he gave them was much larger than the land they actually occupied and controlled, but that is a story for another day. They did not occupy all of it because of their own shortcomings, not God’s. 

The point for today is this: “This is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance.” Canaan was a well-known region in the Middle East, even as far back as 1,500 BC, before the time of the Israelites’ conquest. This was to be their land, given to them by God himself.

Do you understand the inheritance God has given to you? And are you ready and willing to take possession of it? The apostle Paul said Christians are qualified “to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Colossians 1:12). We do not inherit a piece of land, no matter how promising it might be in an agricultural sense. We inherit no less than the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).

This is the result of our righteousness as children of God. We aren’t righteous because of anything we’ve done but because of the work of the new Joshua – Jesus Christ, the Son of God – who leads us into our inheritance. 

What must we do now? We do not want to leave any part of our inheritance unoccupied. We see the fullness of the promise, and we know the Israelites fell short of living fully in the land God gave them. Is there anything still for us to do to ensure that doesn’t happen to us?

God said, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son” (Revelation 21:6-7). 

We conquer by our faith – nothing more. Faith bears itself out in obedience to God, of course. But faith in Him and in his power and work is where our hearts and minds must remain. We keep believing in the one who finishes all things in heaven and on earth. We come thirsty not for water but for eternal life – for Christ himself. 

Chris