The Joy of Our Inheritance in Christ
In Russia many years ago an elderly mother was being moved from her home into the poor home provided by the state. One of the men assisting in moving the furniture noticed on the piano a picture of a young man. “Is that your son?” he asked. “Yes”, said the mother, “he’s gone to America and I am left alone.”
“But I heard that he has done very well,” said the young man. “Hasn’t he ever written to you? Doesn’t he send you any assistance? Has he not taken care of you better than this?”
“Oh, he’s written,” she said, “but all he ever sent were little pictures. I suppose they are only pictures of his friends, but they look rather old for him. I have kept them in this box waiting for my boy to come home and tell me who they were.”
She pulled out a box and in it were hundreds and thousands of ten, twenty, fifty and hundred dollar bills. She was rich and she never knew it.

THE ONE FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW
So many Christians are like that old lady. They are rich beyond what they realise or imagine, yet continue to live as paupers. Like the prodigal son we can claim our inheritance now and we don’t have to squander it in some far country.
Now, don’t just hear ‘money’, ‘wealth’ and ‘material possessions’ when you consider the inheritance we have in Christ. Our inheritance and the blessings of God extend to far more than just material possessions. It includes the gift of eternal life, the gift of the Holy Spirit, friendship with God, fellowship with Christ, the wisdom of the Lord, healing, joy, peace, comfort, guidance, forgiveness and so much more.
Christians have been given all authority on earth; we are more than conquerors – which means that we should be living lives full of the joy of the Lord. The Bible says that “all things are yours” 1 Cor 3:21 and “No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11. As John D. Rockefeller remarked, “The man who has nothing but money is poor indeed.” All of these riches and treasures are small change compared with the spiritual wealth we have in Christ.
In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul explains to us what these riches are and how we may draw on them to move our Christian living into top gear.

WE ENJOY SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
The blessings that God promises us are spiritual blessings. There are many groups that promote the so-called, ‘prosperity gospel’ which promises material wealth as a sign of God’s favour and more often than not leads to feelings of guilt and inadequacy. But the blessings that God promises us are spiritual blessings which we inherit as children of the King.
He promises to supply all our needs “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” Phil 4:19, but He does not promise to shield us from either poverty or pain. The Father has given us every blessing of the Spirit, everything we need for a successful, satisfying Christian life. The spiritual is far more important than the material (Read Ephesians 1:3).
God knows all about us. He is aware of our sinfulness and inadequacies. Yet He has given us a holy inheritance.

WE ARE MADE HOLY
He has made provision for us to live without blame and above sin. In Revelation 12:10, satan is called the “accuser of the brethren.” He is the one who constantly fills us with guilt. But in Jesus we are no longer under condemnation. Don’t let the enemy deceive you and mislead you. Don’t allow the enemy to pull you down to his level.
No matter what has happened in your past – God has forgiven you and wiped the slate clean. You stand before God as holy and blameless because of the work of Christ. We no longer live under that dark cloud of sin and guilt. We are free, blameless and holy in Christ Jesus “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Rom 8:1 (Also read Ephesians 1:4).

WE ARE TOTALLY ACCEPTED
One of the most difficult things to deal with in life is rejection. It is a horrible feeling and we all have experienced it one time or another in this life. The rejection may have come because of your race or colour, it may have come in a personal relationship, it may come when you are overlooked for a promotion or selection for a sports team. It comes in many forms and can adversely affect our self image and confidence.

YOU ARE HIS CHILD
This world will always reject you. You are set up to be hated by this world; they hated your Master, so arm yourself likewise. This includes the religious world. Do not marvel at this. Jesus also faced rejection, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” John 1.11
We can draw strength from this astounding, amazing, magnanimous truth: that God Almighty has accepted you as His child. This is the key to overcoming this world. Our acceptance in Christ is the basis for constant serenity and peace. God’s absolute acceptance of us is based upon His wonderful Grace and love towards us in Christ.

CHRIST IS ALWAYS WITH US
David Livingstone once addressed a group of students at Glasgow University. When he rose to speak, he bore on his body the marks of his African struggles. Several illnesses on nearly 30 occasions had left him gaunt and haggard.
His left arm, crushed by a lion, hung limp by his side. After describing his trials and tribulations he said, “Would you like to have me tell you what supported me through all the years of exile among people whose language I could not understand, and whose attitude toward me was always uncertain and often hostile? It was this, ‘Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world’.” Matt 28:20
On these words he staked everything, and they never failed. He was God’s child and he knew that God would always be with him and Jesus would never forsake him. (Heb 13:5). We are totally accepted, loved and cherished by God. Read full article in new issue of JOY! Magazine