Unimaginable Legacy
by Lisa McHeard
Today’s Treasure
To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:4 ESV
Our earthly experiences are bound to disappoint us. They just don’t have the quality of the ones we are waiting for. Things tied to earth perish. Even the best of what we enjoy here can be easily defiled. Worldly possessions bring fading happiness because our satisfaction with them is so subjective. Our entire economy is held together by our swift dissatisfaction with earthly things.
There is a reason for that. We are not meant to find our contentment in what the world has to offer. Remember, we are strangers here, sojourners on our way to a better place. Efficient travelers don’t pack a lot. They keep things light and essential, realizing that whatever they pack they must carry on the journey. Committed pilgrims understand that time spent maintaining an overabundance of earthly treasure, could be time spent moving toward their goal destination.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21 ESV
The moment we come to Christ, we step on the path toward our eternal inheritance, and oh what an eternal inheritance we look forward to! Imperishable - heavenly treasure that will never decay. Undefiled – every part of it unstained and unblemished. Unfading – abundant riches that won’t run out, give out, or wear out. What God has waiting for us is more than we could ever accumulate ourselves, no matter how hard we work or how protectively we hoard. We share the inheritance of our Eldest Brother because we are part of the family! Every single benefit the Father bestowed on the Son is ours. That’s what we are moving towards. We are traveling toward an unimaginable legacy.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:16-17 NIV
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
I am a house-coveter. I confess it and admit that it is the area of discontent that I struggle with most. We have a wonderful, 100+ year old Dutch Colonial, with more room than we need, and a mortgage payment so low that we couldn’t rent for what we pay. My children love our house. It is the first real home that my foster-child husband has ever known. Yet, sinful, selfish, covetous me struggles almost every day with wanting more. This lightly laden sojourner desires a heavier pack. Isn’t that silly! How about you? Do you struggle with a persistent area of covetousness and greed like I do? Does it rob you of contentment or steal time that could be spent sharing hope with a neighbor in need? Let’s both commit, right now, to be content with the pack God has presented us with and look forward to the inheritance we have waiting at the end of this dusty road.
Lisa McHeard serves as Women’s Ministry Coordinator for the New York State Presbytery of the PCA. She loves writing and is presently completing a devotional on the Gospel of Mark. Lisa is married to Ken McHeard, senior pastor of Duanesburg Reformed Presbyterian Church, where she serves joyfully at his side.
STORE UP MORE TREASURES
At some point in our lives, we or someone we know will go through great suffering. I encourage you to go the MARKINC website and listen to the interview “Sexual Abuse: One Woman's Story" so that you can store up treasures of encouragement for the next rainy day in your life or someone else's. Here is a summary and teaser of this resource:
Numerous studies reveal that sexual abuse is rampant and the scars of betrayal go deep. In this transparent interview, Sharon Betters interviews Dr. Terry Eccles, who shares her own story of repeated abuse by her father and how she is finding freedom from the past.
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Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@gmail.com.