The Glory of His Inheritance
by Joan Vetter
Inheritance - as I reminisce, I realize and appreciate all that has been passed down to me. For instance, when we moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. from the University of Florida when my husband started his first job, we already had one child and another on the way. Imagine how thrilled we were to hear that a favorite aunt left us her house in her will.
Then, at another point in our life, after having our fourth child, another aunt passed away and left us some money. It was like a gift from heaven. The next inheritance was when my husband's mother passed away. Each time, someone had to die, and they had to determine in advance what would be in their will.
Well, the Bible is the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. He stated in advance exactly what His will is. We would be so foolish not to joyfully receive all He has left to us.
In the Kingdom of God our God has left us an incredible inheritance. It is up to us to search it out and take it as our own.
First, there is salvation. In two different situations, men came to Jesus and asked what they could do to inherit eternal life. In Ephesians 1:13, we read that, "After you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession." So the steps to personal salvation are: hear the truth, believe, and receive with confidence - it is guaranteed. We don't have to work for it - only receive.
Secondly, there is the inheritance of His faithfulness through His promises toward those who believe. I heard an excellent teaching the other day on the word "doubt". It is composed of two Greek words. First is Dia, meaning "by means of/through a channel", and the second is Krino, which means, "to pronounce a judgment/to condemn." Therefore, whenever we doubt the promises of God, there is a channel where condemnation flows. In contrast, the Holy Spirit desires to flow freely through our lives. I remember a little praise song we used to sing. The words are:
There's a river of life
flowing out from me
Makes the lame to walk
and the blind to see
Opens prison doors,
sets the captives free
There's a river of life
flowing out from me.
I have decided with certainty that I would prefer to have life flowing out of me rather than condemnation (toward others or toward myself). Therefore, I am learning how to trust God's faithfulness to me through His promises - whether health, protection or provision in this life and the security of my eternal destination in heaven.
My prayer for you is that "The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance." Eph. 1:17-18.
