Are you ready for your inheritance?

BY THE STAFF AND LEADERSHIP TEAM - SPIRIT LAKE GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH

Your future inheritance is important because it is permanent and imperishable! Let’s face it – we live in a fast-changing world. And change is not always our friend.
Author and evangelist Anne Graham Lotz' house was broken into some years ago. The thieves took almost everything of value. The night after the break-in she lay awake as fears assailed her from every side.
Just as her valuable possessions had been taken, she began to contemplate all the other precious things in her life that she could lose. Through illness or accident, she could lose her children or her husband. She could lose her health, her job, her finances or reputation.
Just as her anxiety reached a fever pitch, she recalled these words from 1 Peter 1:4 — praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you. Did you catch that? We have an inheritance that cannot be taken from us.
Anne Graham Lotz sat down and wrote an alphabetical list of the eternal blessings that cannot be taken away from us. These are the items on her list. Notice her clever use of the letters of the alphabet:

I am
Accepted by God.
Beloved by God.
Chosen by God.
Delivered by God.
Enlightened by God.
Forgiven by God.

I have
Grace of God
Hope for the future.
Inheritance for heaven.
Justification.
Knowledge of God
Love
Mercy of God
Nearness to God
Oneness with God
Peace
Quickening of the Spirit

I am
Redeemed
Sealed with the Holy Spirit
Treasured by God
United with other believers
Validated as an authentic child of God

I have
Wisdom of God and one say will be exalted with God!

What a beautiful way of saying that in the fast-changing world we have one thing we can count on – an inheritance from God! At some point in our lives, many of us start to feel like we are losing more than we are gaining. We experience the loss of friendships, jobs, health and strength, new ambitions, respect, or status.
Where do we find hope for tomorrow? In the realization that we can never lose the grace of God – and someday, when we see Christ face to face, we will experience the awesome fullness of God in all its glory, and that glory will never end! GRACE: it’s for me, it’s for you, it’s for everyone!