A Wonderful Inheritance

LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!

Psalm 16:5-6

What comes to mind when you hear the word inheritance? Do you ponder what you hope to leave behind to any children you may have? What your parents or grandparents will pass down to you in the way of property or a trust? Scripture says that “good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren” (Proverbs 13:22). In the Old Testament, inheritance often referred to land, as in today’s verse from Psalm 16: “The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!” God spoke about that very land—the Promised Land—to Abraham hundreds of years before the Israelites actually entered it.

This “wonderful inheritance” also refers to the truth that the Lord is our inheritance and our home (see verse 5)—not only on this earth but also in eternity: “Together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (Romans 8:17).

There is yet another dimension of inheritance: the wondrous truth that through the death of Christ on the cross, we who were once separated from God have become the Father’s inheritance. How incredible that God would make us his bride, his heirs, and shape us into vessels through which he can shine his light to a dark world!

Holy Spirit, may your grace enable us to walk in the reality that you are our promised cup of blessing and true inheritance. May we leave a rich inheritance of faith, hope, and love to those who come after us. Grant us deeper understanding of the riches of the glory and inheritance that you have in us, your saints. In Christ’s name, amen.

You may not be able to leave your children a great inheritance, but day by day, you may be weaving coats for them which they will wear for all eternity.

Theodore Ledyard Cuyler(1822–1909), American pastor and author