THE GREATEST INHERITANCE EVER

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 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.”

Romans 8:15-17

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Here’s how it typically works when someone dies in regard to their assets and possessions.

A will, developed by the deceased person while they were alive, is handled by a lawyer who handles the distribution of the estate. There is a reading of the will so that the heirs are made known and note that there isn’t any official automatic granting of any portion of the estate to someone in the family. In other words, this isn’t like in biblical times where the eldest son would be entitled to everything as the firstborn. No, when it comes to the dissemination of assets and possessions, the recipients are usually designated by the person now deceased in the will. If you’re fortunate enough, these inheritances can bring a windfall of money or other valuables.

Well, as we see in our scripture passage today, there is such a thing as a spiritual inheritance as well and the prize is the greatest inheritance ever, a share of God’s eternal kingdom, a place we refer to as Heaven.

How do you become an heir to the kingdom of Heaven?

Look at what God’s word tells us about it:

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 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.” Romans 8:15-17

If a person isn’t living in the Spirit (short for Holy Spirit), then they are living in sin (or living in the flesh as we have seen in our past messages from Romans). In regard to the latter, we find the scriptures talking a lot about the bondage of sin, imagery of being enslaved by transgressions.

But note the contrast in regard to someone who opts to live in the Spirit. This doesn’t lead a person into slavery but rather adoption as you are embraced and loved by your Father in Heaven, the One called Abba by His beloved, an Aramaic word that expresses an intimate relationship. Through our belief in Jesus and the subsequent imparting of the Holy Spirit upon and within us, we become God’s children, His sons and daughters who are counted as much His own as Jesus Himself.

We know this because the scriptures tell us that anyone who becomes a child of the God Most High also becomes an heir to His kingdom of Heaven, and not just an heir but a co-heir with Jesus Himself. When Jesus died, God resurrected Him in power from the tomb and eventually brought Him to Heaven, placing Him at His right hand in authority over all things in heaven and on earth.

One day, Jesus will return and bring His co-heirs to the kingdom to live with Him and Father God forever in one of the many mansions He has prepared. Until that time, God’s word lets Christian believers know they can expect to share in Jesus’ sufferings before they will share in His glory.

In other words, suffering for the cause of Jesus is part of the Christian experience. This is why it’s so important for us to always remember the final words of this chapter in Romans which simply reminds us that:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” vv. 8:38-39

None of us know what life holds for us between where we are today and where we might end up when this life will end but we do know with complete confidence that we have the greatest inheritance ever awaiting us through our Savior Jesus Christ.

For Christ believers, the best is still yet to come. Always remember that, no matter what this worldly life brings your way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to Gods4all@aol.com