The Psalmist said in Psalm 119: 57, you are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words. A careful reading of the statement suggests the writer as saying, he is part of God, or belongs to each other upon a promise or commitment of obedience to him. In effect, we cannot be a part of someone against whom we disagree, rebel or oppose. Jesus said in Matthew 12: 30; Luke 11: 23, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
To declare the Lord is my portion forever, we must have knowledge of what it means, without which we speak only empty words, and our boasts are also empty. By similar reasoning, 2Peter 2: 17 says, these people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. As God’s people, we must be careful of the words or phrases we use. Proverbs 17: 27 says, the one who has knowledge uses words with restraint. Proverbs 19: 2 says, desire without knowledge is not good. So, how does God become our portion forever, and what does it mean?
We accept God as our Lord
First, this means we must belong to God; and to belong to God, we must obey him. It calls for an acceptance that we are an integral part of him, whose absence makes us incomplete as a whole. We cannot live as independent from God, hence Jesus said in John 15: 5, “I am the true vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. A branch, as a branch, cannot be independent from the tree of which it remains a branch.
We accept God as a memorial
As a memorial, God should be celebratory of us every moment of our lives forever. This is because we will share common identity, image or nature as one body through Christ Jesus. A memorial is a worthy remembrance. Deuteronomy 32: 9 says, for the Lord’s portion is his people. The psalmist said God is his portion because God is worthy to belong to. Are we equally worthy of God as God’s people? Psalm 16: 5 says, Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. Is it true that God alone is our portion, excluding sin?
We accept God as part of us
Psalm 73: 26 says, my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The Lord’s portion is unconditional whether successful or not but our commitment to remain a portion of the whole through obedience. Though the body may decay, our portion in God, the soul and spirit, must remain in his image of God as imperishable. Genesis 2: 7 says, the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being. Do we have God’s portion in us? 1Corinthians 3: 16 says, don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
We accept God’s righteousness
God as our portion reminds us to be righteous. Jeremiah 51: 19 says, He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these. He who is the portion of Jacob is holy. Leviticus 11: 45 says, be holy because I am holy. This must be the portion of God in us which reminds God about us. Job 36: 7 says, he does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. Psalm 1: 6 says, the Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Psalm 34: 17says, the righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them. Psalm 34: 19 says, the righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from all their troubles.
We accept to wait on God
If God is our portion, we must wait for his directions before we act. Accordingly, we must always be in tune with him in order to hear him speak. Lamentations 3: 24 says, the Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him. Waiting for or on the Lord shows God is our portion. We wait for or on the Lord upon trust for Proverbs 3: 5-6 say, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Psalm 37: 5-6 say, commit your way to the Lord, trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
We accept God as our inheritance
No inheritance surpasses God who is our eternal portion. Psalm 94: 14 says, the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. Therefore, Paul wrote in Ephesians 1: 13-14, when you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of his glory. Our inheritance through Christ Jesus is founded on our new birth. It is written in 1Peter 1: 3-4, in his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
Reflection
The claim that God is my portion forever is not vain talk. It comes with a charge to keep. Jesus said in Matthew 12: 36, I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Making empty declarations has consequences. Is God in truth our portion forever? Have we allowed God’s holiness which he has implanted in us by his Spirit through Christ Jesus to affect our daily lives in accordance with his will?
Do we treasure God as our portion? Jesus said in Matthew 6: 21, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. May we treasure God through Christ Jesus and his holiness as our portion forever and thereby live in holiness and in truth. If God is our portion forever, we must reflect his light in us as our portion. John 1: 4 says, in him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, forever be our portion of inheritance by which we may attain righteousness, not only with our lips but in our hearts as we reflect and meditate on your word of life. We pray in your blessed Holy name, Amen!!
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