The Believer's Portion! # 1

The Believer's Portion! # 1

"You are my portion, O Lord!" (Psalm 119:57).

Many people are proud of their possessions and boast of their wealth; yet their possessions are very limited, and their wealth has wings, and may at any time flee away!

A Christian may not be proud - but he must be thankful!

He can look up and on the starry heavens and say, "My property and wealth, exceeds the vast expanse!"

he may try to conceive of the greatness and glory of the created universe, and then say, "I claim more than all this!"
Looking up to the Author, Owner, and Disposer of all worlds - he can say, "You are my portion, O Lord!"

What a privilege! A portion - and such a portion. God Himself in all His greatness, and in all His goodness. God with all He is, and all He has - is my portion!

What kind of portion is this? It is immense, for it comprehends all. All the attributes of the Divine nature - are for us. All the perfections of God's character - are on our side. All the productions of the divine power - are for our good. Therefore the apostle says, "All things are yours!" Nothing good is withheld from us!

What the father of the prodigal said to his eldest son, our heavenly Father says to every one of His children, "Son, you are ever with Me, and all that I have is yours!"

And we may adopt similar language in speaking to our heavenly Father, to that used by the angel to Abraham, "By this I know that You love me, because You have not withheld Your Son, Your only Son from me!" And from this fact, we may draw the same conclusion as Paul did, "He who spared not His own Son - but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also, freely give us all things!"

O beloved, God in all the glory of His nature and perfections, God with all His unsearchable riches - is our portion!

What kind of portion is this? It is immutable. It remains forever. Others may lose their property, or it may become deteriorated and comparatively valueless - but our portion is forever the same.

Blessed is the man that can say with Jeremiah, "The Lord is my portion, therefore will I hope in Him!" Or with David, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance!"

How is this privilege acquired? By the new birth, for being born of God, we are the children of God; "and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ."

By donation, or deed of gift, for God gives Himself to His people, saying, "I will be your God, and you shall be to me a people."

By choice, for we make a choice of the Most High for our God, and by the work and operation of the Holy Spirit, we are disposed to do so. Our relationship flows from the good will of God alone, for we are "born not of blood, nor of the will of man - but of God." As another apostle testifies, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created." The gift is wholly of grace, and while it is unspeakably great and glorious, it comes to us free as air, without a work to merit it, or a disposition to deserve it. The choice is ours - but our choice the effect of God's choosing for us.

But how did we come into possession of this portion? We were taught our need of it; for such is the nature, vastness, and profound aspirations of the human soul, that nothing but God can satisfy it. It was never intended to be satisfied with anything less than God Himself, and with less it never can be satisfied, or be perfectly happy. This the Holy Spirit teaches us, and therefore we desire this inestimable blessing. The desire being kindled by the Spirit in the soul, we begin to seek for it, nor can we rest until we obtain it. At length comes the revelation that God is ours, and that we are the Lord's.

What is the PROOF that the Lord is our portion? This may be sought for, and found in a variety of things.

It may be found in our THOUGHTS, for if God is our portion, we shall think of Him, and think of Him with pleasure. 

~James Smith~

(continued with # 2)