Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new
life and a hope that lives on. God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it
will never decay or be ruined or disappear. You have faith in God, whose power will
protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always
planned to do. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (CEV)
In this week after Easter it is only
appropriate that we focus on the hope we have in living because of the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Today we discover the great gift we receive with the believer’s hope. The inheritance is the eternal life
that God gives us, but the inheritance of eternal life involves the most
wonderful gifts imaginable. Pause and
reflect on what is yours as a believer:
· Being adopted as a child of God
· Being forgiven and made blameless
· Being given eternal life
· Being given an eternal spirit
· Being given a glorious body
· Being given eternal rest and peace
· Being given the knowledge of Christ Jesus
· Being given durable riches and righteousness
· Being made priests
· Being given incorruptible crowns righteousness, glory
and life
Our inheritance is described in 1
Peter 1:4. It is most descriptive; an astounding picture of the
new heavens and earth that are coming and of our life in God’s new and eternal
world: To obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you…
This verse tells us our inheritance is imperishable. When
you buy perishable items at a store, you know you have to use it up before it
expires. There is an expiration
date. Our inheritance from Jesus has no
expiration date. It is good for an
eternity. It never runs out or spoils
and Satan cannot steal it from you.
The word undefiled
means that it cannot be polluted or defiled, dirtied or infected. It means that
our inheritance will be without any flaw or defect; it will be perfectly free
from sickness, disease, infections, accident, pollution, dirt—from any
defilement whatsoever. There will never be any tears over what happens to
oneself or over the damage or loss of some possession.
Our inheritance does not fade
away. It will last forever and ever. The splendor and beauty of it all—of life and
of all the positions and possessions which God shall give us—none of the
splendor and beauty shall fade or diminish whatsoever.
Nothing, not even our energy and bodies, shall wear out or
waste away.
Our inheritance is in heaven; it is
reserved there for us. It is actually being held there by God
for us. God is simply waiting for us to finish our task here on earth and to
come to Him. Then He will give us our inheritance. This is
Scripture to Claim:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints… Ephesians 1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints… Ephesians 1:18