Take risks!! Your future is secure!

I come from a middle income family. Well, in truth, we oscillated between low and middle income much of my life. Now my Mom is 80 and barely getting by on her small retirement and social security checks each month. So you can see why the word "inheritance" never really was part of our family vocabulary!  When I graduated school and left home, I knew that if I was going to make anything out of myself, I was going to have to do it on my own. There was no trust fund, no hope of cashing in, should either of my parents die. (Not that I wanted them to die!!) . There would be no help in buying a home, no extra money coming in the mail should I fall into hard times. 

Yet, I had friends who counted on the inheritance of their parents.  They put their hope in it and thought of it often. In fact, it changed their entire perspective of life and also changed the way they did things. For one thing they weren't worried about money like I was. They were more at ease when things went wrong, and they took bigger risks! Because of the hope and assurance they had in their future welfare, they could afford to try and start their own company, they could invest in risky ventures, they could travel more, experience more of life.. because, hey, if they failed, they always had that inheritance coming down the road. And you know what? Most of them succeeded very nicely.

It's often people who have a fear of the future, who are terrified of failing and not being able to make it, who only take the safe roads in life, who cling to every dime they make and never do anything

risky. They take their money and put it somewhere safe where they believe nothing can take it away.  Much like the people Jesus described in the Parable of the Talents In Matthew 25, they take the talent God gives them and bury it in the ground. 

As much as I'm NOT in favor of spoiling kids and handing them everything, knowing there will be an inheritance coming can be a very good thing. It gives a person freedom to live life to it's fullest without fear, to climb the highest mountain, tackle the biggest problems, experience things they wouldn't normally experience, take risks and win.  Now, where am I going with this??

As I've been reading the New Testament, I'm astounded by how often the apostles speak about our inheritance in Heaven. Paul often talks about it, as well as Peter in 1 Peter 1

By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,  3-4  Amp

What is our inheritance?  It is eternal life in the most wonderful, beautiful incredible place you can imagine, surrounded by your loved ones and friends, and never again feeling hunger or pain or sickness or despair or loneliness. It's walking the streets of gold with the Lord, the creator of everything and having a one on one relationship with Him. It's having a purpose for all eternity, adventure after adventure as you serve the King.  It's far better than any of us can imagine!

Paul mentions Jesus's return multiple times and all the writers of the New Testament refer to the 2nd coming as something that all Christians should long for and hope for and to use that hope to keep persevering in their walk.  I believe they were onto something.  If we keep most of our focus on this world, on our work, our families, our lives and all the petty things that go along with our day to day existence, then we can easily get entangled in these minor details and when trouble strikes we become unglued.  

But if you keep your mind on your coming inheritance, if you keep your eyes above on God and on heaven and on eternity, if you live in the Spirit and keep in communication with God, then the things of this world will fade in comparison. Yes, you have to work and live and do all the mundane things of life, but you can train your mind and your spirit to focus on things above. Then when problems strike, they won't seem so bad in light of eternity!

Even when we were dead n our transgressions, (God) made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  Ephesians 2:5-6

Also,  if you know of your coming inheritance, you'll have more courage to face life. You'll take risks for God, you'll step out in faith more, you'll love more. You'll live more.  Because you know this is not the end. This world is only the beginning. 

 Here is my prayer for all us:

That the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  Ephesians 1:18.