MY INHERITANCE

Week Twenty-Four, 2021

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22

Genealogy can be fascinating, especially now with so much displayed online. I have been able to trace my family all the way back to Saxony in the ninth century. I have tracked them to France, to England and to Scotland. They were on the wrong political side and were forced to come to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1620’s.

Peter Grant and others went on establish the town of Berwick in the Colony of Maine. Peter Grant was my fourth great grandfather. In the public records I found his will. It gave his testimony to his faith in Jesus Christ and spelled out his Christian beliefs, which he passed along to those who would continue in his family in the years to come. That’s me and is my inheritance from him.

Just as I am an heir to Peter Grant, likewise I am an heir to Jesus because I am adopted into his family. In Romans 8:17 Paul says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” According to this verse, we share in the sufferings of Christ now and will share in the glory of Christ later as His “co-heirs” or “joint-heirs.”

The term heirs of God emphasizes our relationship to God the Father. As His children, we have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade… kept in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4). The Greek term translated “heirs” in Romans 8:17 refers to “those who receive their allotted possession by right of sonship.” In other words, because God has made us His children (see John 1:12), we have full rights to receive His inheritance. We are His beneficiaries.

While I am honored to be a son of a God-believing grandfather, I am more honored to be a child of God through adoption by His on Jesus. Being a co-heir with Christ means that we, as God’s adopted children, will share in the inheritance of Jesus. All that belongs to Jesus Christ will belong to us, the co-heirs, as well.

“You are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Galatians 4:7). Think of all that means. Everything that God owns belongs to us as well because we belong to Him. Our eternal inheritance as co-heirs with Christ is the result of the amazing grace of God.

The musical play, Annie, contains a wonderful illustration of becoming an heir of God. When Annie moves from the orphanage to the Warbucks’ Mansion, it’s an incredible change for her. She leaves behind a spiteful, alcoholic caretaker and enters a relationship with a caring father. She goes from having no possessions to having a fortune at her disposal. The hard-knock life is overcome by the brightness of a sunny tomorrow. Seen from a Christian perspective, Annie pictures what being a co-heir with Christ means. “We share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory” (Romans 8:17).

No earthly inheritance could ever compare with our heavenly inheritance received by accepting Him as Lord and Savior and being an heir of Christ.

***

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

Thoughts to Live By:

All good friends were once strangers.

Big things often have small beginnings.

Lost time is never found again.

You’re worth more than you know.

I’m so very proud of you.

Don’t be busy; Instead, be productive.

Every problem has a creative solution.

With God all things are possible.

— o —

WARNING: Sugarcoating the Gospel may fill church, but it will not get people to Christ!

***

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

Political discourse fails to recognize that discussions on abortion ignore the fact that a new life is at stake in every decision that is made. Dwight Short

Tolerance and apathy are the last virtues of a dying society. Aristotle

You may pride yourself in your accomplishments or successes. But mark this, when you see a proud man, you see a man who has not yet encountered God. Dan Shock

What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck

Our faith as a Christian is being eroded by our culture. Os Guinness

To be a Christian without prayer is like living without breathing. Michelle Tellone

Be defined by your destiny. Os Guinness

Do something for a month and you establish a short-term habit but do it for three months and you establish a long term habit. Ken Boa

We need to be defined by things above, not things below. Ken Boa

You can live by the world or you can live by the Word. Ken Boa