Adoption and Inheritance

But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, this is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. (Luke 20:14) KJV

So many true crime stories on television display greed as a motive for murder. It is an age-old vice driven by envy, jealousy, and even hate. In past centuries, kings were assassinated by their own children. Still today, spouses kill their partners to inherit money; others kill in insurance schemes. On the streets, lives often end for much less.

Human nature is to take; divine nature, to give. In that vein, God took the first step and offered up His only heir, Jesus, so that sinners could become adopted sons and partake of Christ’s inheritance. Not just any inheritance—but one incorruptible and undefiled, which does not fade away and is kept in Heaven for us (I Peter 1:4).

We had no way to earn the gift of His grace. When I read Luke 20:14 recently, I was struck by the irony. They wanted to kill the heir so the inheritance could be theirs, but Jesus died so that it could be. Yet no man took His life—He willingly laid it down to make us all heirs together with Him. No wonder Paul said, “I pray...that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19a NIV).

Thank You, Lord for the precious gifts You have given us. Help us to live to the fullest, reveling in the knowledge of how much we have been—and always will be—loved.

© 2010 Katherine A. Fuller