He Is My Portion, Not Just His Gifts
Devotional Credit
Days of Heaven by A. B. Simpson
Photo Credit
Unsplash
God told Israel that the Levites would not receive a slice of land, they would receive Him. Joshua 13:33 says that the Lord Himself was their inheritance. That picture steadies my heart today. It is one thing to receive many good things from the Lord. It is another to discover that the Lord Jesus is the thing, our portion, our life, our peace. Thank you, A. B. Simpson, for stirring this reminder that the Christian life is not mainly about getting more from Christ, it is about living from Christ who is within.
Many of us have tasted blessings that come and go. A strong Sunday, a sweet season, a quiet morning when our thoughts are clear. Then life shifts, and our moods shift with it. Simpson points us past the changing to the Unchanging. Not only peace with God, but the peace of God. Not merely joy given by God, but the Lord as our joy. Not only sanctification from the Lord, but Jesus Himself as our sanctifier and keeper as we abide.
This turns the volume down on striving. If Jesus is my portion, then I am not chasing a feeling. I am receiving a Person who lives in me by His Spirit. I can walk into an ordinary Tuesday and say, my inheritance is not fragile. My life is hidden with Christ in God. His life can flow through my thoughts, my words, and my steps.
So today, like the Levites, we rest in the better portion. We do not despise His gifts, we simply treasure the Giver more. And as we do, we discover a steady center, Jesus Himself as Life in us, expressing what He commands and sustaining what He begins.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I am your portion and your cup. I chose you in the Beloved and blessed you with every spiritual blessing. Your life is now in my Son, and his life is in you. Set your mind on things above where your life is kept with Christ in God. I keep you in perfect peace as your mind rests on me. I do not give as the world gives, my peace guards your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
I am the one who works in you to will and to do my good pleasure. Present yourself to me as one alive from the dead, and reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God. I sanctify you wholly. Faithful am I who calls you, and I will do it. The one who began a good work in you will carry it to completion.
Do not measure your day by shifting feelings. I am your joy. I am your strength in weakness. When your flesh reaches for control, remember that you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, since my Spirit dwells in you. Christ is your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Live from him, not toward him. I am able to keep you from stumbling and to present you with great joy. I am your inheritance, and I will never fail.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a desk lamp. You can keep swapping batteries to keep it shining for a little while, or you can plug it into the wall and let the current flow. Batteries fade and need managing. A steady connection supplies what the lamp could never produce on its own. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is not giving you occasional boosts so that you can get through the day on your own. He is your living connection to Jesus within, supplying what he commands and expressing his patience, love, and courage through you.
A simple practice today. When a tense conversation starts to build, instead of tightening up and rehearsing your lines, turn to the Lord within and say, Lord, I rely on You as my peace in me, express Your calm and truth through me in this moment. Then speak and act from that reliance, trusting that Jesus is your portion right there at the table.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Jesus I lack nothing. Thank You that Your Spirit lives in me, that my life is hidden with Christ in You, and that You are my portion now. Thank You that peace is mine in Christ, joy is mine in Christ, and sanctification is mine in Christ. I receive the day as Your gift, and I receive Your Son as my life. Keep me attentive to Your indwelling presence, and let the life of Jesus be seen in my words, my decisions, and my care for others. I rest in what You have already given, and I walk forward with gratitude.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Joshua 13:33; Numbers 18:20; Psalm 16:5; Psalm 73:26; Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27; John 15:1-11; Romans 5:1; Romans 6:11-13; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:3-7; Philippians 2:13; Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Jude 24