There's an Inheritance Waiting for You - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - Sep. 9, 2015

If you were the son or the daughter of Bill Gates, it would probably stand to reason that you were going to receive a large inheritance.

But you have a father that is wealthier than Bill Gates. Your heavenly Father has prepared an inheritance for you as one of his children. The Bible says in Romans 8:16-17, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory” (NLT, second edition).

That is one of the most amazing verses in the entire Bible. Everything that God has given to his Son Jesus Christ he’s given to you also. You’re going to share in his glory. That is limitless! In Heaven, you will have unlimited access to the unlimited resources of God, because God created you to be his child. But you must choose to be his child by asking him to accept you into his family.

Everybody is created by God, but not everybody’s a child of God. You have to choose him and say, “Lord, I put my trust in you. I accept what you did for me on the cross. I believe in you, and I want to love you and trust you.” When you do that, you become a child of God, and you’re going to have an inheritance one day.

Any parents are going to want to know that their child is responsible before they give the inheritance. Oftentimes parents test their children in small amounts before they are given a larger amount. The same is true with you spiritually. This life is your test. God is testing you to see what you do with little amounts before he trusts you with more in eternity. He’s watching what you do with that little bit of talent to see whether you’re going to be responsible enough to get greater talents in Heaven. He’s testing you to see how you handle the little bit of wealth he’s given you. How do you handle the relationships he’s given you? How do you handle the little opportunities he gives you?

If you’re doing well with it, guess what? The Bible says you will be trusted with more in Heaven: “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones” (Luke 16:10a).

What are you doing with what you’ve been given?

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Talk It Over

• What are the things God has entrusted to you as a test to see how you handle them?
• In what ways do you need to improve with your responsibilities so that God will entrust you with even greater ones in Heaven?
• How does knowing you have an eternal, limitless inheritance affect your perspective on money and your finances right now?