The Inheritance
According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3b-5
An inheritance is a bittersweet blessing. By definition, you only receive it when someone who loved you is no longer alive. Such was the case when my dad died in the summer of 2023. Engulfed by grief over losing him and grappling with my new orphan status since Mom had preceded him in 2021, I was overwhelmed as I contemplated my position as their only child and sole heir. Gratitude and guilt mingled with an intense sense of responsibility.
My parents married young and had little material wealth. Dad served in the Air Force and went to college on the GI Bill after he completed his four years of active duty. Mom worked various jobs to help pay the bills. From these humble beginnings, they labored together over their nearly 70 years of marriage to build a comfortable life. They provided for me while I was under their roof and shared generously with my family and me as the years progressed. Dad invested wisely, always with the goal of leaving something for future generations.
I didn’t do anything to deserve the inheritance. If anything, I drained my parents’ finances instead of contributing to their wealth. As grateful as I was to receive it, I also worried I would make poor decisions and somehow waste or misuse what they’d left to me. One day, when I was engaging in just such hand-wringing, the friend listening to my angst said, “Your dad didn’t have to leave his inheritance to you. He could have given it to his alma mater or another charity, but he entrusted it to you. He knew you would handle it well.”
In the nearly three years that have passed since Dad joined Mom in the presence of Jesus, the powerful, mind-numbing grief has subsided to a dull, ever-present ache. Able to think more clearly than in the early days of loss, I’ve taken heart in what my friend said and have endeavored to make decisions that honor my parents’ memory and the values they instilled in me, including generosity, appreciation for education, and planning for the welfare of future generations.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Navigating the realities of my material inheritance has given me ample opportunity to reflect on the importance of stewarding my spiritual inheritance.
Unlike Mom and Dad, Jesus was wealthy beyond measure, yet He became poor for my sake so that, by His poverty, I might become rich. He didn’t consider equality with God something to grasp. Instead, He left His throne and humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. His death secured an eternal, imperishable inheritance I did nothing to deserve.
Several years ago, our women’s Bible study worked through Entrusted to Be Invested by Karen Hodge. As children of the King, we’ve been entrusted with the greatest treasure of all, the Gospel. Unlike our earthly inheritance, which may be lost despite our best efforts, our inheritance in Christ is eternally secure, kept safe for us by the power of His blood.
Just as I strive to steward the earthly treasures my parents entrusted to me, I desire to steward the treasure of Gospel hope in a way that brings honor to my heavenly Father as I live out the values He’s imparted to me through the power of the indwelling Spirit.
In Christ we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory . . . I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.
Ephesians 1:11-14; 18-19
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the imperishable inheritance we have received in Christ. Please help us to be good stewards of the Gospel message that You’ve entrusted to us, faithfully passing it from one generation to the next until He returns.
Patsy Kuipers - Patsy often refers to herself as “Gardening Grammie,” a title encompassing two of her favorite pastimes. Widowed at age 38, she was blessed to be gainfully employed for all the years she spent raising two daughters on her own. When the corporation she worked for eliminated her job after a 30-year career, she returned to school to study horticulture, a passion born of caring for the garden her husband left as part of his legacy. Patsy relishes teaching her three grandchildren about plants and the One who created them, weaving stories of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness into their time together. She is a member of Grace Covenant Church in Dallas, Georgia, where she serves as an advisor to the Women’s Ministry Committee and leads women’s Bible studies. Patsy blogs at Back 2 the Garden (patsykuipers.com) to encourage others with the hope of the Gospel. She offers the same encouragement in her book, Be Still: Quiet Moments with God in My Garden. When she’s not writing or playing in the dirt, Patsy enjoys catching up with friends over a strong cup of tea.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.