Friday, September 20, 2013

"Thou, my everlasting portion."

"Thou, my everlasting portion."
Hymn: “Close to Thee” – Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)
Tune: CLOSE TO THEE

When my grandfather Smelcer decided to stop farming his acreage in Pigeon Forge, he apportioned it out equally among his children, keeping only the large corner lot on which the homeplace stood. My mother received her portion and lived on that plot of land the rest of her life. This kind of event helps me understand some hymn texts – and in turn, the hymn texts improve my limited understanding of who God is and how he works among his people.

In the Old Testament, God does a lot of apportionment of his land… and of his Spirit. We also read about his distribution of himself:
“God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)
"The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (Lamentations 3:24)

In the New Testament, we are referred to as “partakers” or those who share in the inheritance:
“You will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all  that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light.” (Colossians 1:12)

Even after my grandfather divvied up his farmland, it was still the Smelcer Farm… but now it belonged to his children. The acreage in east Tennessee was my mother’s inheritance… which eventually became my inheritance… which is now just a block off the road into Dollywood and has been re-zoned as commercial property and sold to provide for us in our retirement!

But in the case of God, he has subdivided this inheritance among all his believing, accepting children. It is mine for all time… I have an eternal share of stock. He IS my everlasting portion - more than friend or life to me. I am delighted to have been allotted a piece of the Kingdom.

We live in a subdivision here in Waxahachie, Texas. When I lived here 35 years ago, this was the Cook Farm; it has since been re-apportioned into lots for home-building. The plot on which our house is built, however, was not given to us: we bought it. In the case of our share in Christ, it was bought for us and given to us freely… as was my mother’s slice of the farm.

Seems like I took way too much verbiage to say that singing this opening line of a Fanny Crosby hymn text makes more sense to me when I break it down into a situation I can get my mind around. Sometimes, that’s the only way I can get at the truth: talk it out until it makes sense!

Now, go and enjoy your allotment… your everlasting portion of God!



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Hymnlines - Hemlines: Get it?! :)

Hymnlines - Hemlines: Get it?! :)