“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” – Titus 3:7

 

My dad passed away about 8 months ago. I had the privilege of being the minister at his funeral.  He had full military honors, since he had been a US Army Captain.  It was a very touching experience being able to send him off to glory in such a wonderful and solemn way.  After the proceedings, my sister was tasked with handling the will and all that came with it.  As his children, we all got a small portion of what our dad had after his almost 83 years here on earth.  It wasn’t much, but it was meaningful.

 

That got me thinking about our Heavenly Father and what He has in store for us. The Bible says that if we are believers in Christ, we have been adopted into His eternal family.  As God’s children, we are heirs to His glory.  The book of Ephesians says that we have been blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing.  That’s very reassuring, especially in today’s world of pain and uncertainty.  We can know that God is not only willing to help us, but has accepted us as His own to be partakers of all of His goodness.

 

God’s goodness knows no bounds. We as worldly and fallen people still know how to give good things to those we love.  We sin and have evil in our hearts, but we would still give our children a cool glass of water if they asked for it.  Granted, there are those times that people didn’t have a good relationship with their own fathers or mothers.  If you are one of those people, rest assured that God is not that way.  He is the father that you should have had.  When the world gives you suffering, God gives you relief.  When your earthly circumstances are a mess, God is there to pick up the pieces.  When you have no hope and everyone has turned their backs on you, God will always be there with His arms outstretched to accept you into His peace. He promises you an undying love that is not affected by the ways of the world.

 

The one and only stipulation to this adoption is that we believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. There is one way only to the Father and that is through His only begotten Son, Jesus.  When we accept Him and His payment for our sins, we are then taken into God’s family.  We shake off the stain of that sin and accept His grace and His Holy Spirit into us; and it is the Spirit Himself that testifies that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:16)   Jesus Christ paid for that adoption.  He paid the cost of our eternal salvation and entry into Heaven.  It’s all available, as long as we receive Jesus into our hearts and lives.

 

My dad’s will amounted to promises that we would receive since we were his children. That is much like the Bible, which sums up all of the promises of God our Heavenly Father.  It’s amazing that the King of Kings promises us an inheritance beyond compare.  We are children of the Most High and through Him receive a crown that never tarnishes, riches that never depreciate, and a kingdom with no end.  This world is passing away quickly, but we place our faith in that which is eternal.  That faith will be rewarded when God’s will is done.

 

Consider the New Testament of the Bible to be God’s ‘last will and testament.’ And just as with any other will, the promises of the Bible was only in effect after death. That death was Jesus on the cross.  Jesus died, was buried, then raised from the dead in order to fully execute God’s will.  Because of Jesus, our inheritance is now available.  Christ’s glory becomes our glory.  When Jesus received His crown, we received ours as well.

 

Please, if you have not done so, accept Christ into your heart and be born again into God’s family. He has offered us eternal life and an inheritance that is beyond compare.

 

God’s blessings to you.

 

DH