Loving Grace Ministries - Wayne Monbleau - Let's Talk About Jesus

Hallelujah! Christ is our inheritance. We are enriched forever in Him. Indeed, even as the apostle Paul wrote, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). Our heavenly Father has blessed us with every single spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. And where do we discover or realize these blessings? Paul said it, "In Christ." We are blessed in Christ and all of our blessings are in Christ. He is our inheritance and in Him we live. We live from the center, even as the priests unto the Lord were blessed in the Old Testament to live from the center of the holy portion, living as near to the Holy Place as possible.

Are you living in the center of your inheritance? Do you know that you have been given this great blessing of being able to live the whole of your life in Christ, ever aware of His presence within with all of the manifold heavenly blessings residing in Him? The more you acknowledge that Christ is, in fact, your desired inheritance, the more you will fortify yourself with this great truth. And importantly, the more you actually learn to feed daily from Jesus Christ your "bread of Life," allowing God to "give us this day our daily bread," the more consciously aware of Christ you will be throughout the day.

It's not only or simply being aware that Christ is in you, even as good and essential as this is in order to truly live that life of joy, peace and abundance that Jesus promised His followers. When we see that we have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, that should ignite a hunger and Godly desire within us to learn of and come to know more fully all of these heavenly blessings in Christ. What may all these things be? Well, this is a huge part of the excitement and eternal joy of living in Christ - that each and every day brings us a fresh as-unto-the-Lord opportunity to see more and understand more of our inheritance in all its richness in Christ.

I always figure that I don't know all of my heavenly blessings, so this keeps me coming to Christ, my inheritance, that I may see more of Him and of His blessings. For it is in Him that all these blessings are realized. When I read the Scriptures, I am always mindful to see things in the light of Christ my inheritance. He is my center, the center from which I live.

Look at the two verses, if you would, at the head of this article. The first, from Ezekiel, is God stating to His faithful priests of the inner court, who ministered unto Him, that they were to have no possessions in the land because "I am their possession" and "I am their inheritance" (Ezekiel 44:28). The second Scripture, which is from the New Testament, shows us that in Christ Jesus we have this Old Testament blessing, which was given only to a few but is now fully realized in Christ our Messiah, as being for all who would come to Him for eternal life. This is a glorious forever part of our salvation, that "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance" (Eph. 1:10-11). And even better is that He Himself is our inheritance. Every heavenly blessing, which God states that we have already been given, is just waiting for your discovery and realization. And where are all these blessings? In Him. Christ is our center, our life, our Messiah, our inheritance and the One in whom all our blessings reside.

Let us draw near to Him, our Savior, so we may more readily see these things in His light.

Perhaps some are saying, "Wayne, I know Jesus but I don't know these things." Good! Why good, you may say? I say good because this, I believe, is God's divine catalyst to draw you even nearer to your Lord, the living Lord. My brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, I don't know all of my blessings yet either. In fact, I doubt that any of us has the absolute full and complete understanding and realization of "every single spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." And again I say, good. I'm not saying that ignorance is good. And I'm certainly not saying that a deliberate hardness of heart against these things would be good, for it would not be good. However, if we say we don't know all of these blessings, let us say this in the light of being God's beloved children, priests unto the Lord, called out from the world to live in Christ, experiencing His effective "Good Shepherd" Lordship over the whole of our lives. For if we confess our ignorance in the light of His presence, there is no guilt, shame or second guessing. There is only welcome, assurance and a certain acceptance that, despite our lack of knowledge, God's promise is true and Christ our inheritance is true. Certainly if we do not know these things, we don't have to travel far in order to learn them, for Christ our inheritance lives within us.

The more we live in, and celebrate, the truth of Christ our center and Christ our inheritance, the more enabled we will be, each day, to see all things in the light of His light. Scripture says, "In Thy light we see light" (Psalm 36:9). In other words, if we are having a difficult time seeing, in this case, our heavenly blessings in Christ, then let us draw near to Him, our Savior, so we may more readily see these things in His light. Let us indeed learn to see all things in the light of His presence, His promise and His provision.

Let me even go so far as to suggest that every single Christian topic or truth you consider, or every single verse of the Bible you examine, should be looked at in the light of His light. Consider Christ first. Place Christ first, above and as Lord over the issue you discuss or the Scripture you read. In this way you are bringing all things to Him and I believe you will see the effective working out of this truth that, "In Thy light we see light." By acknowledging Christ first, you are drawing, as a disciple, all of your thoughts towards Him. Just by doing this, you will be enriched and will start seeing through all things to the greater truth of Christ above all things. In this way you will be discerning your heavenly blessings being, in fact, perfectly realized in Christ.

Let me give you a few "for instances." For instance, let's say you are discussing the return of the Lord. Rather than getting bogged down in the multitude of opinions concerning the timing of these events or the sequence of these events, even as many or most today do, I would say put Christ in the center. Consider His return in the light of Who He is. Be joyful that He is returning and leave the details to Him. Make Him your effective center and, in doing so, potential confusions or divisions are immediately melted in the simple yet profound light of His presence. He is coming! Hallelujah! Let's be ready for Him! Keep it there, simply and faithfully in Christ and you will know what the Bible says is "the blessed hope" of His return. This is a part of your inheritance, a heavenly blessing which, outside of Christ may produce dissension and debate but which, inside of Christ, produces a blessing and a point of joy for every true believer.

Are you considering your sins? I encourage you to place Christ in the center of your considerations. Let "the kindness of God," or Christ Himself, "lead you to repentance" (Romans 2:4). See your sin in the light of His full provision at Calvary. See His death for you, His atonement for all your sins, so that you may be truly free, forsaking your sin even as you embrace and are embraced by the greater truth of Christ. Our sins separate us from God, but His blood has paid for them all, and in the light of His light, with Christ at the center, you may be truly free. Not free to indulge (for that would be continuing in sin), but true freedom is freedom from sin, freedom from the power of sin, by His life that lives within us. Again, I encourage you to begin placing Christ at the center of every thought and discussion. In doing so, you will be walking out your life in the light of your inheritance in Christ.

Begin placing Christ at the center of every thought and discussion. In doing so, you will be walking out your life in the light of your inheritance in Christ.

Are you thinking of faith? Or hope? Or love? Or obedience? Or peace? Or any other thing? "Think on these things" (Phil 4:8) in the light of His light. See all things in a Christ-centered way. Allow Christ to always be the object of and the center of your faith, your hope, your love, your obedience, your peace and you will never veer off course, as so many do today. By always remembering that Christ is your inheritance and that only in Him can you realize your heavenly blessings, you will be anchoring all of your thoughts firmly in Him. This is the practical outworking of what Jesus referred to in the Gospels when He told us to build our house upon the solid rock that is Him Himself. The house will always stand, come storms or controversies, because the house is founded upon the rock of Christ Himself. You need not stray if you acknowledge that Jesus is your way!

This is also how, in a simple and practical sense, you may begin to see, or continue seeing, all of your spiritual blessings "in the heavenly places in Christ." By taking any and every topic and referring it first directly to Christ you are actually doing what the apostle Paul wrote when he said "we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). In doing so, you will be spared from the excesses which always follow when people attempt to discuss or teach a spiritual matter as being separate from, rather than being dependant upon, Christ Himself.

Are you in need of healing? Please let me encourage you to place Christ at the center. Let His provision and promise minister to you now. Let all your requests be made through Him and in His name to Abba Father. Allow His strength to uphold you now in this moment even as you seek Him for a touch and a breakthrough. Let Him be your comfort and your portion even as you wait upon Him. Let Christ Himself be the object of your prayers, even more than the needed healing itself and you will be ministered to by the inheritance that is Him Himself even as you await His further touch.

Let me state that every single subject and issue of the Christian life may be seen and understood more truly, more fully and simply as we acknowledge Christ over all. It is only in His light that we may see light. By fully "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2) we are being true disciples, bringing all things to Him, and we are declaring that God, He is God. He is God over all my life, over all my hopes, over all my fears, over all my trials and infirmities. He is God over all my blessings, all my victories and all my failures. And, despite what we may experience here on earth, in His light we do, and always will, see light. His light, the light of Christ Himself, is the lighthouse piercing through the fog and confusion of this world. Where the enemy would love to cause our trials in this life to make us question God or feel isolated from Him, The Holy Spirt would instead entreat and draw your every thought to Jesus, your life, your King, your inheritance. Everything is infinitely better when seen in the light of Who He is and what He has done.

What I'm getting at is that by placing Christ in the center of all things, He is then able to shine His light, the light of His perfect finished work, on all things. And by seeing all things in His light, you may then begin seeing things as not mere "things" (i.e. topics, disputes, controversies). In His light, in the shining light of the perfection of Himself, He is able to elevate any topic or issue out of the miry clay of this world or our fragmented thoughts up into the light of His presence. It's like picking up a common rock and holding it up in the light of His presence and discovering the gold that is really there.

It’s all around you, your inheritance is, but can only be truly seen and understood when you
are living from the center, from the place where God’s glory dwells.

Instead of arguing about or being confused by faith, for instance, look at faith in the light of Christ and you will see that faith is a heavenly blessing for you in Him. By affirming and acknowledging His presence, placing Christ first and above this subject, His light always shines so that all things may be truly seen when they are related primarily to Him.

Are you worried about bearing fruit or the good works we are called to as God's children? Fear not beloved child of God. Instead, learn to see all of your works and fruit as being “in Him” for truly He has called us and appointed us that we would bear fruit and that our "fruit would remain" (John 15:16). It is not primarily about us or our efforts. Remember, He is the vine and we are the branches. The life of the vine not only gives us our life, but His life also produces our fruit. We are given the blessed joy and privilege of active participation and yieldedness to His will, but indeed it is always He who performs his work in us who believe (Philippians 2:13). The writer of Hebrews said that God is "working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ" (13:21).

Hallelujah! Praise God! Every single issue of our life is covered by Christ Himself. The more we relate all things to Christ Himself, the more we are enabling ourselves to see all things in the light of His light. In doing so, we are living from the center, living from our inheritance, and the commonness or controversies of all things are dissolved as we step above all things into Him our perfect inheritance. When you become fully convinced that only in His light may we see light, then you will want to and be eager to draw every thought captive to Christ. This great spiritual inheritance, which is yours right now in Jesus, will be ever coming into clearer focus, as you learn to see all things from a Christ-centered perspective.

Not only is this the great centering blessing of our own lives in Christ, but this is, in truth, the perfect place for all believers in Jesus to come together - IN HIM HIMSELF. Boundaries and divisions disappear as we exalt Christ over all. Separation and anxiety melts away as we individually as believers and corporately as His body, begin effectively placing Christ as the center, the Head, the object of our lives.

Every spiritual subject or truth may be revealed to be part of your inheritance when you place Christ at the center of it and begin looking at all things from the vantage point of His finished work and perfection. This is exciting. This liberates you from divisive thinking and sets you free to consider all things in Him. Yes indeed, "in Him we have obtained an inheritance." It's all around you, your inheritance is, but can only be truly seen and understood when you are living from the center, from the place where God's glory dwells. "I am their inheritance" says the Lord. When you look into God's word, look for Christ. Read God's word in the light of your inheritance and you will begin to see and recognize the wonderful awesome truth of our being given "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Get ready, start making a list even, because you will never reach the end of discovering your true eternal riches in Jesus Christ. The world, the flesh and the devil are here only to steal, kill and destroy. But praise God, Christ is here, victorious now, living His life in us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16) and in Him we are complete (Col. 2:10). Place Christ at the center of your life, even as He is. Live from the center, see all things from the center and the dawn will arise in your innermost being, revealing with greater clarity your true riches and everlasting inheritance in Jesus Christ.

In the next issue of the Loving Grace Journal, we will continue this theme, looking more specifically at the blessings of our inheritance "in Him."

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened, so that you will know
what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory
of His inheritance in the saints."

Ephesians 1:18

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