A Better Inheritance

UV 1081/10,000 A Better Inheritance
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect

Hebrews 11 v 40

God has foreseen something better for us. He is keenly interested in improving our lot. The new covenant contains the better promise of God for all mankind. Even the men of faith of yore like Gideon, Barak, David, Samson, Samuel and the prophets through faith subdued kingdoms, did righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouth of lions, escaped the edge of swords, quenched or put out fires. They wandered about, were martyred, persecuted, tormented. But their faith was not perfect as they had not experienced the grace of the risen Christ. They had a good report of their faith before God and yet they waited for the promise which we now have. Abraham did not live to see his descendants as numerous as the sandgrains and the stars. Moses did not live to enter the promised land. They believed as they received physical signs, messages and experiences of God’s power and might.

The Lord set a rainbow once the great flood subsided as a covenant between Him and mankind. The word VIBGYOR that stands for the colours of the rainbow has a spiritual meaning: V stands for Victory. We have the promise of a better victory in our struggles in life. I stands for integrity- thanks to the sanctification of the Holy Spirit we have a better sense of wholeness or integrity of spirit, mind and body. B stands for boldness- a greater boldness. G stands for glory – the glory of God will be revealed to our eyes and ears and understanding in different aspects of life. Y stands for yield. The Lord will give us a better yield as we yield ourselves to Him. O stands for Obedience of the Word and the revealed will of God. R stands for Resurrection power that is at work in us and amongst us. We have a better covenant with the Lord as the Lord has reduced our period of waiting. Under the old covenant with Abraham, the Lord provided a lamb for the sacrifice in place of Isaac. Under the new covenant, He provided His own perfect Son in place of each of us. Our faith in this perfect sacrifice makes us perfect in the sight of God. Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant with better promises. We will see with our eyes and hear with our ears and receive the promises of the Lord.

Every day as we face a flood of troubles and stress, we should recall the terms of the better covenant VIBGYOR and claim it then and there. We are not travelling to the promised land but we are now living in the land of promises. There is a spiritual heavenly rainbow around the throne of God. It is a sign that God’s glory is undeniable, unflagging, resplendent, irreversible. It is impossible to access His glory without His grace. We are given a better inheritance thanks to the covenant of grace instead of the old covenant of law.

Prateep V Philip