I am your share - by Ben Bonython

The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.  Numbers 18:20

Aaron was a priest, chosen by God.  They were to have no ownership or land or wealth or superannuation - rather to simply rest and trust in God.  This was different from the other Israelites whose received their 'promised land' and all the wealth that land offered.  For the priests, there was no ability for them to generate wealth or financial security - except this promise that seems so powerful and profound to me - that God himself declares that He is their share and inheritance.

But what does this mean for us in our modern western world? The bible says:

'you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.' 1 Peter 2:5

If we are a holy priesthood, then our share and inheritance is the Lord himself.  And this makes complete sense because we are built into this spiritual house who is Jesus.  The bible also says in verse 9 of the same chapter, that we are His special possession:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We belong to the Lord - we are His and as His priests, and our vocation is shown in everything we do, our actions and thoughts and deeds declare something more than just ourselves and our own strength - rather, more like the praises of God or spiritual sacrifice to Him.  We know what sacrifice means, a sacrifice costs you something, but what does a spiritual sacrifice mean?  How does that cost?

Every time you say no to temptation and no to sin, you make a sacrifice.  Every time you say yes to generous giving and giving up your time and resources to serve others, that is a spiritual sacrifice.  Every time your actions 'cost' you something here on this earth, that is a sacrifice of spiritual consequence.  So because of this, as ones who belong to this holy priesthood, what have a different value system and thought process about 'land' and 'wealth',  We realise that for us, Jesus is our share, Jesus is our portion and our inheritance.  Who or what else would we need?

'I am our share', says the Lord...