The Lord says: I am your share and your inheritance. So we say: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you. (Num 18:20; Deut 18:2; 1 Pet 1:3-4)
Members of God’s Family
Today, many people around the world are unemployed or underemployed. They feel that the system is rigged against them, and they are right. Older people fear running out of money before they die. People of all ages worry about not having enough resources to live on, going broke, or becoming bankrupt. We all want security; that’s natural. The Bible offers sound financial counsel and teaches us to ask the Lord to provide for all our needs. And He often does it in this life. And God always gives His believers the richest riches in the life to come!
In the Old Testament, the Lord promised Levi’s tribe that He (God) would be their inheritance and specially care for them, since they owned no land to farm like the other tribes of Israel. In the New Testament, Jesus urges us to store up treasure in heaven, safe from moth, rust, and burglars.1 He commands us to avoid unhealthy hoarding of possessions and instead to stockpile what’s valuable in God’s sight (practicing justice, mercy, and faithfulness).2
All Christ’s followers are graciously adopted into God’s family and made members of His royal priesthood. So now we have a rich and glorious inheritance because of our attachment to Jesus. Our spiritual wealth is eternal salvation, with many, many components.3 See future posts for details.
Christians are related to Christ by faith in Him, regardless of the earthly family we come from. That’s the greatest news. And God’s inclusion of us motivates us to be fair and generous to all our neighbors, to be compassionate and loyal in our love, and to walk humbly with our God.4
Martyrs in Ecuador
In 1952, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot and four other missionary couples denied themselves earthly riches to bring Christ’s good news to an isolated and violent tribe in Ecuador that might otherwise never hear of God’s grace, mercy, and peace in Jesus. The missionaries sacrificed, practiced radical obedience to the Lord, and were willing to risk death to serve Christ. In 1956, the five husbands were all speared to death while attempting to evangelize the Huaorani people. And when they were killed, those missionaries were taken home to be with Jesus in Paradise.5 They were promoted to Glory. For them and for all Jesus’ followers, life is only for serving Christ, and dying is a gain.6 Do we really believe that? I do believe God, but I’m also weak enough to distrust Him sometimes. Lord, increase our faith!
A Last Will and Testament
Under this legal document, the inheritance kicks in only when the person who made it dies. Christ is the Testator and Mediator of a new covenant who died on the cross, the death we deserve, to set us free from our sins. Then He rose from the grave to guarantee our newness of life and future resurrection and blessing.7 So we sing:
Living, He loved me. Dying, He saved me. Buried, He carried my sins far away. Rising, He justified freely forever. One day He’s coming, O glorious day!8
Dying, You destroyed our death. Rising, You restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.9
Our Future Hope
In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote: “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the best things a Christian can do. We are not to leave the present world as it is, but to change it for God and for good. In history, Christ’s followers who did most to advance His kingdom in the present world were those who thought most of the next world.
Martin Luther likewise taught us to live as if Christ had died yesterday, as if He had risen this morning, and as if He were coming back tomorrow. We are to live with laser-like focus on Jesus, because at His return, believers will be raised in glory, publicly welcomed and declared not guilty, and made completely holy and happy in the full enjoyment of God forever. Praise the Lord!10
Living Like Heirs
Our guaranteed salvation and inheritance in Christ energize us for service to Him. So let’s not be careless or foolish about how we spend our days. Here are some New Testament life lessons for us who have a secure and wonderful future in Christ.
- Whatever we do for a living, we are to work at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for human bosses, since we know that we will receive an inheritance from the Lord as His gracious reward. It is ultimately the Lord Christ we are serving. That changes everything about our attitude to work and our actions on the job.11
- By God’s grace, we must turn from immorality, impurity, greed, and all sins that are not fitting for members of Christ’s kingdom. We cannot repent too soon, because we never know how soon it may be too late. Lord, teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.12
- The Holy Spirit is God’s deposit in every true believer, guaranteeing our inheritance until Jesus returns for us. He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until that day. So we must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.13
If the Lord has blessed us with material wealth, let us praise Him and use every dollar to advance Christ’s kingdom. Remember John Wesley’s maxim: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” If we are poor in earthly wealth, bless God that He has chosen us to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him.14
With our inheritance in Jesus, we’ll live on forever with Him in the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. We will never run short of anything we need.
Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last. (C.T. Studd)
To be continued. You can read Our Bigger Inheritance In Jesus
Notes (various Bible translations used): 1 Matt 6:20. 2 Matt 23:23. 3 Gal 3:26-29, 4:1-7; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Eph 1:15-23. 4 Micah 6:8. 5 See Luke 23:39-43. 6 Phil 1:21. 7 Heb 9:16-17. 8 From John Wilbur Chapman’s 1910 hymn “One Day.” 9 From Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal #567. 10 Shorter Catechism #38. 11 Col 3:22-25. 12 Eph 5:1-7; Thomas Fuller (1608-1661); Psalm 90:12. 13 Phil 1:6; Eph 1:14; 4:30. 14 James 2:5.