Today's Word

As we get older, some things which we didn’t expect start to happen. I’m not talking about physical health by the way! We notice older relatives dying and disappearing from our lives. Eventually, we ourselves too begin to recognise our mortality. Sometimes, if the relative who dies is a close relative, we may benefit financially from their will and estate, although the number of rich relatives I have is very, very small.

The benefit obtained from a person’s will is sometimes called an inheritance and there is a verse in the Bible in Ephesians 1 which uses that same word, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance”.

Notice it doesn’t say ‘from whom’ but ‘in whom’. So the person in whom we have obtained an inheritance is none other than Jesus Christ. Our inheritance in Him is unique because He isn’t dead but alive and because He is alive, our inheritance continues to grow and achieves its fulfilment in eternity. While we are on earth we have access to all Christ’s character, because we are in Him and God’s plan for us is that we should absorb and demonstrate those characteristics, all of which are the epitome of goodness.

The questions we need to ask ourselves always are, ‘Have I grown more like my Saviour over the past year and am I still wanting to grow like Him at present?’ The answer to both questions should be ‘Yes’ but we really have to be honest. Remember the few days we spent on the Fruit of the Spirit’, can we point to growth of those characteristics in our lives?

Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church