What Is Your Inheritance?

            As you ask yourself that question, your mind will likely go to finances, as most of us think of an inheritance in terms of how much money or property will become ours when our parents die. But an inheritance can be so much more – the color of your eyes, the shape of your body, the way you speak, the manner in which you carry yourself – there is so much that we receive from our parents through genetics and through their example to us.

            So then, when we ask ourselves about our inheritance, we are really asking, “Who are my parents? What kind of people are they? What have they passed on to me already and what will pass on to me when they die?”

            Each of us will have a different answer to the above when we are thinking about our earthly parents. But when it comes to our Father in heaven, there are many things that every believer in Christ has inherited already and many others that everyone in Christ will inherit in the age to come. Sure, there will be some differences in how God blesses each of us in terms of earthly blessings, spiritual gifts, and natural talents, but there are many things that belong to all of us who are in Christ simply because we have been adopted as God’s children and we all receive His inheritance.

            So what is our inheritance in Christ Jesus? What is our inheritance as children of God? What have we inherited already and what still remains to be inherited in the future? What comes to your mind when we talk about our inheritance in the Lord? A million things flooded my mind (or so it seemed!) and I think it is way too much to try to list them all in this short devotional. Instead, let’s focus on some foundational truths about our inheritance in Christ.

First of all, our inheritance is based upon our relationship with the Father. We receive an inheritance because we belong to Him. We are His children, adopted in Christ Jesus, and are the rightful heirs to everything He has. Think about that. Those of us who are in Christ are children of the King, sons and daughters of the Most High God, and He owns everything and shares it with us now as He sees fit. In the fullness of time, we will inherit the Promised Land and live in eternity in our Father’s House. There will be no more crying there and no more pain because everyone will know the Father and be like Him.

Secondly, we receive from God every day of our lives as we live for Him – patterning our lives after Him and living the way He showed us and taught us in Jesus. As we live in Christ, in that realm of being connected and rooted in Him, we become more and more like Him. We inherit His characteristics, His values, His way of thinking, His way of seeing things, as we pattern our lives after Him. We begin to love people as He does. We begin to have joy, peace, and contentment like Him. The more we pattern our lives after our Father the more we become like Him.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, God Himself is our inheritance. We are His inheritance and He is our inheritance. We belong to Him and He belongs to us. We are one with Him in the same way that a bride waits for her groom. We belong to Him and we long for the day when we will be together forever. In a very real sense everything that He has is ours, as He willingly shares with us and blesses us in ways we can’t even imagine or think, but we still long for the time when He will come and set everything right.

So let me ask you again. What is your inheritance? Your spiritual and eternal inheritance, that is. The one you receive from your Father in heaven, not your earthly parents. If you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then you are a child of God and can look forward to inheriting eternal life and everlasting peace with your Father. It’s an inheritance that is incorruptible; it will never rot nor fade away nor be lost by any means at all. And, as if that were not enough, you are receiving from Him today – His love, peace, joy and many other spiritual blessings – as you pattern your life after Him.

Let’s Pray Together: Father, thank you that through Jesus I have such a great inheritance – life with You forever! Help me to live in Christ, to pattern my life after yours, so that I might become more and more like you. Show me how to live, and give me your love, peace, and joy even now. Take away any anxiety, and help me to set my eyes on you and the great inheritance that You have for me. Help me with these concerns that I bring before you now… (continue praying as you feel led)

This devotional is authored and published by Randy Brockett. All publishing rights are reserved but readers are encouraged to repost (please include this copyright info) or share his insights with their family, friends, and congregations. For other devotionals by Randy, see http://www.blesseddisciples.com, http://www.dwellinchrist.com, and http://www.discoverbiblicalchurch.com.