We can understand how God is our inheritance, because when we receive Christ, we become the beneficiaries of his great love. That, in itself, is amazing grace!

But for the Bible to say that we are God’s inheritance—that is almost beyond belief! God, who owns everything in the universe, is thrilled that we are his possession! Deuteronomy 32:9 repeats this incredible truth: “The Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted inheritance.”

Deuteronomy 32:10 describes how precious Israel was to God: “In a desert land he found him, in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye.” This phrase literally means “the little man of his eye,” referring to the pupil in someone’s eye, in which you can see your reflection.

In Isaiah 5 God sings a love song about his people: “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. .. The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in.” This provides a rich background for another verse: “For God so loved the world . . .” (John 3:16).

The Lord’s inheritance is not simply gold and silver but the people whom he loves and has redeemed in Christ, and God delights in gathering us around him to celebrate all the goodness of full life!