What kind of inheritance is this? I bet your might be saying "Umm..I'm not getting an inheritance. I squandered away the saving my parents had to try and help me but I just used it to get drugs" or "I've been banished from my parents and they want nothing to do with me." Yes, all too often in our addiction community we might not have the support that we need and have been cast away from our families because of the choices that we made. And so we will receive no earthly inheritance.
But, in Christ, you will get an inheritance and as the verse says, it's forever and it can't spoil, fade, perish and it's yours! When we have that new birth and renounce our ways and follow Jesus, he promises this inheritance. He knows our lives here are going to be riddled with troubles that we must overcome for His sake, and he has a reward planned out. But this inheritance is not for this earth. It's waiting for us when our time here on earth expires. And here is where that "living hope" comes into play that I wrote about yesterday.
It's so easy to say "Oh yeah, that's the future" and not really think about it or even dismiss it. But this new hope was so precious to those beaten down (see verse 1 or the devo from 2 days ago) that this is what they placed their hope in. And it's the same with those dealing with a life of addiction and trying to become sober.
It's intangible really. Do I know what that reward is? Nope. Do I have any idea what heaven will be like?". Nada again. It's so abstract that it's hard to grasp BUT I do know this-- Living a life here on earth filled with addiction and sin is painful and filled with bad consequences that given the hope Jesus promises of an eternal life filled with reward - I'm thinking it's going to be a good thing. Because no addict or sinner has said ever - "My life is so filled with rewards!"
Following Jesus doesn't mean your life will be filled with less sadness, grief, etc as you break away. You might find yourself lost feeling you have no identity because you can't hang with the old friends because they really are bad news. But take your identity in Christ. That's what the folks in verse 1 did.
