6-22-2017

      Good Morning All,

              Galatians 4:7; “So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

    I think all parents do this at some point in time, perhaps many times.  If your children need some money; you loan it to them but you don’t really expect them to pay you back.  I can remember when our sons were growing up; they had an allowance but sometimes they needed a little extra.  It might be mom’s birthday, or Christmas time or it might be a special date; something comes up where they need a little more.  So we parents give them the little more and we don’t expect to be paid back.  That is what parents do.

    I remember many years ago listening to a couple of old timers talking about giving their kids large amounts of money.  Their logic was “it will be theirs in a few years anyway; they might as well have it now.”   While this may not be at the front of a parent’s logic; it is true.  What is mine will be my children’s and grandchildren’s someday.  So when I loan my children money; it is really theirs anyway so why make them pay it back.  If I have it; they can have it.

    In our faith life this is true as well.  It might not be money but we will inherit something even greater and that is the entire kingdom of God, perfect and eternal.  We often forget this part of the promise.  We focus on the promise of the forgiveness of sins.  We focus on our debt being cancelled but this is only part of the promise.  Actually, this part opens up the greater part of the promise and that promise is eternal life in the recreated perfect creation.  Sometimes this is referred to as “Creation 2.0”.  Yet this IS the promise; that we will live eternally with Jesus in this perfect creation.  This promise belongs to those who are righteous before God.  It will belong to those who cling to the forgiveness of sins that Jesus gave through his death on the cross.

    We are heirs and God allows us, actually encourages us, to tap into this inheritance.  He wants us to use this inheritance to live a peaceful and purposeful life here on earth.  Each day, each night, each situation we face; we have a choice; we can tap into this inheritance and place our cares and worries into God’s hands or we can try to battle them, to “pay for them” ourselves.  Each night when we go to bed, we can worry about the events of tomorrow and lose sleep, or we can trust in God’s fatherly love for us to protect us and keep us.  God willingly and lovingly desires to give us all that we need to face this life.  He gives us the faith to trust in his great love.  He gives us the peace to rest in this world; he gives us the strength to face whatever comes because of his love for us.  This is the part of the inheritance that is available to you, right now, because you are precious children to God and heirs to his kingdom.

Father of all grace, your mercies are new to us each day.  Give us the wisdom to look to you for all we need to sustain this life.  Lead us to find peace in your arms and safety in the shadow of your wings.  Be with those who are especially troubled by the struggles of this world.  Give them your Spirit and strengthen them by your mercy.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret