“By His great mercy we have been born anew…to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

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It is a common story often told. Family members go to war over an inheritance. Life-long relationships are shattered; lawyers parse out the fine print. Greed is let loose. Souls are lost in the effort to gain the world.

God does want His people to look forward to an inheritance. But “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” describe an inheritance of an entirely different order. The New Testament describes its’ character. First, it is imperishable. It cannot be damaged by moth or rust, and thieves cannot take it away. Secondly, it is undefiled. It is not the product of greed or corruption. Nor was it gained at the expense of others. It is not stained by sin. Thirdly, it is unfading. This inheritance will never become old and worn and withered. It is not subject to market forces and can never be depleted.

In a real sense, these qualities could describe God Himself. For in the end, what Christ Jesus has bequeathed to us is not a place or an experience, and certainly not a fistfull of dollars, but Himself. Without Him, all the great affects of the kingdom leave us wanting. For to inherit the kingdom, in the deepest sense, is to share in the unalloyed joy of knowing that when we have Him, we have everything.

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

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