Will You Pass On Your Inheritance? Part 1

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be the King? To have land, castles, money, titles, armies, servants, treaties, relationships with other kings? The bad ones tended to use their position for their own pleasure, and usually didn’t do a good job passing wealth and responsibilities on to their successor/s, with generally bad results. Good kings, however, made it a priority to pass on their inheritance wisely. We need to learn to do the same thing.

We may not be kings, but look at this scenario and ask yourself how you would feel: You go to the reading of your father’s will, and found out that you are inheriting a large business that you were actually well suited to run and that would set you and your family up for life. One problem: You had never been trained for it, and no one had told you that you had a pile of stocks somewhere in your name.

Christians, whether or not you’ve been told by God or man, we are all dynasty-builders. We have the family name, the wealth, the wisdom, the keys to the kingdom, the armies, the supplies, and most importantly, the mandate. Our biggest problem is that we too often don’t even know it.

Take a look at our spiritual inheritance as children of Abraham, the father of faith.

• Genesis 12:2-3 I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

• Genesis 12:7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”

• Romans 4:23-24a Now it was not written for his [Abraham’s] sake alone…. but also for us.

• Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

• Ephesians 1:11a In Him also we have obtained an inheritance….

We have a priceless spiritual inheritance in Christ. The reason that stories as diverse as The Prince and the Pauper and The Princess Diaries resonate so deeply is that there is a both a desire and a recognition that we have something—some position, some wealth—that has our name on it that we can own and even pass on.

What’s our inheritance in Christ? To begin with, we are forgiven and have peace with God (we could just stop here!). But we’re also justified, sanctified, given hope, and given perseverance through trials. The love of God has been poured out in our hearts, we are saved from wrath, we are given grace that abounds, and transferred from slaves to free people. We are alive to God, free to obey Him, delivered from condemnation, and made adopted children of God. We have received spiritual gifts to serve others, we have access to the throne of grace and the protection of the Most High is ours.

Don’t think for a moment that you are not a king or queen with great possessions. To use a powerful Old English word, reckon it to yourself that you indeed have a mighty inheritance. You may not yet know quite what to do with it, but if you’re open to it, you’ll learn both how to use it well and how to pass it on.

Prayer: Lord, I acknowledge that in You I have a great inheritance, one that is so large I admit that I don’t know how to handle it. Open my eyes to see all You’ve given me, and train me to steward it well.