S177P5 – Forward-looking faith: our inheritance
Tit. 3:3-7
[W]e ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Many people spend their lives worrying about what they do not have. Some do not have much, and they look forward to a day when they will have what they need or even more. Others have much, but satisfaction does not come from what they have. When we look at the way life is lived in this world, we all have an expectation of making something of our time here. Many will measure their lives by what they have been able to build with them. While it is beneficial to spend these lives doing good things and being fruitful, leaving a legacy for others, we must remember to measure our lives not by wealth or title or office. This is because we will have our eternal inheritance one day, which is more than we could hope for here.
We know that we derive our eternal value from our standing with the Lord. Who I am as a person has less to do with what I accomplish or own and more to do with the God with whom I identify. It is easy in this world to measure what we have based on what is tangible or calculable. Maybe we measure life by what others think of us. In reality, when we sit and contemplate what it is that we have, nothing compares to what we have in the Lord. And what we have in the Lord is so much more than we experience or know now. We are co-heirs with Christ, and that means that we inherit from the Father what He will inherit. There is a perfect eternal legacy coming our way. Knowing that we will have that one day certainly should impact how we view what we have now.
When our earthly fathers leave us an inheritance, it is limited. They leave only so much money and only so much property. God, on the other hand, has much more. His word tells us that the meek will inherit the Earth. [Mt. 5:5] It also tells us that the righteous will inherit his kingdom. [1 Cor. 6:1-11] When I think of everything God has waiting for me and for us, for those who remain faithful and are called righteous on that day, my small earthly treasure becomes inconsequential. No matter what we have in this life, we must live as those awaiting the most abundant inheritance. Father, help us to focus not on what we can count as ours in this life but on what You will provide for us in eternity.