My Portion
We all face daily temptations as we walk through this life. And many of these temptations, at their core, reflect a desire to find satisfaction where we shouldn't.
In the Old Testament, there's a phrase that is used repeatedly to show exclusive satisfaction in God alone. The Hebrew tribe of Levi, the ones designated as priests, were not given any land because they were set apart by God, and God would be their portion. That's the phrase. God would be their portion. God would be their reward. God would be their treasure. God would be everything they need.
There's a biblical character named Asaph who wrote a few of the Psalms. One of the Psalms he wrote came after he hit a crisis point in his life. He writes about this in Psalm 73. He was looking around and was envious of the godless and arrogant. They seemed to have it all, and the people followed them as they pursued power and money.
After he came to his senses, though, he wrote, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
In another Psalm, Psalm 16, King David says, “Lord, you alone are my portion.”
The prophet Jeremiah, in deep pain after Jerusalem was crushed by the Babylonians, ends up with this conclusion, “The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him.”
The apostle Paul, giving his testimony in the letter he wrote to the church in Philippi, wrote about how he was one of those who had achieved amazing success while putting his confidence in the flesh.
Now, however, he thinks of all that success as garbage compared to knowing Jesus. So, while Paul doesn't use the exact phrase, God is my portion, he's saying the same thing. Jesus is my portion and satisfaction. Jesus is the end of my reward and treasure.
So, where am I going with all of this? It's easy to simply encourage us to hold fast to Jesus as our treasure, and we should. He is the beginning and the end. But if Jesus didn't see his Father as his portion, we would have nothing to hold on to.
In John 4:34, we see Jesus making a profound statement that leads him to the cross. He says, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to finish his work.” So, again, the same concept in different words.
The thing that sustained Jesus and nourished him was not what this world offered, but the purpose of his Father. And he came to finish the work. He came to save the sinner. He came to become our sin and pay its consequences. He came to die so we could live. And he could only do that if his Father was his portion.
So, while we should all embrace Jesus as our treasure, and our reward, and everything we need, our dedication is not what saves us. We are saved because Jesus found his purpose in the will of his Father and did not falter.
Jesus, you are better than anything this world can offer. I'm sorry for looking around as if this world has something to offer. Thank you for doing what I cannot do. You finished the work. Please cause me to see your glory and see you as my portion.
I'll close with this very short, simple, and familiar verse from the pen of King David. This is Psalm 23:1. It says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Song: My Portion