Get out of the mud puddle!

One of my favorite chapters of the Bible is Romans 8.  It is rich with God’s love and reassuring to those who are followers of Jesus Christ.  One of the verses that always stand out to me within this chapter is Romans 8:17.  It says “ Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

What does it mean to be an heir?  If God is our King, then what does that make us?  Paul states it clearly to us:  we are heirs.  If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then you are due an inheritance that is mind blowing. 

Here are some of the facts awaiting you as a follower of Jesus concerning your inheritance:

• We will live in God’s house for eternity.  John 14:2
• You will someday see the face of God. Revelation 22:1-5 (This is awesome!  Take a second to read this scripture!  Whoo!)
• You are, at this moment and forever more, blameless and without sin in the eyes of the Lord.  Psalms 103:12
• God, your Father loves you so much.  Romans 8:38-39

So let me ask a simple but stern question:  if we are truly heirs of the King, why do we spend so much time living like peasants, playing in mud puddles?  Children who belong to the King live in the palace.  They wear the finest clothes.  They want for nothing.  They have unlimited access to the throne, and can see and communicate with their Daddy any time they want.  They don’t live in the street, eating out of trash containers, begging for scraps.  They aren’t locked out of the palace.  Their room is right next to their Father’s room.

What is my point?  I meet so many Christians who still live like condemned sinners.  The continually put shackles on their feet even though God has already removed them.  They live defeated.  So many of the folks I meet and talk with live as if they are still bound for hell.  They are stuck in a repetitive cycle of losing, gaining and losing their salvation again.  This up and down rollercoaster keeps their eyes focused on this world and blind to the one to come.  Here are some points I am trying to make:

• As an heir your inheritance has NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!  It’s God’s choice.  He made you His child, and adopted you.  Stop trying to prove yourself worthy.  You’re not, but Christ is.  That is why He died and rose again for you.    
• Your inheritance cannot be lost.  It is bound in Christ.  IT IS FINISHED!
• Your inheritance is a real thing.  It has already been given to you.  Claim it.

As God’s child, you are free.  Run about the palace.  Live your life wide open!  Your shouldn’t be living as a condemned prisoner but a special child of God.

Today, make a conscious effort to claim your inheritance.  Bathe in the warmth of God’s grace.  Dance in the forgiving rains that Jesus showers upon you.  Get out of the mud puddle and start living in the palace where you belong.