Once Lost, Now Found

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jesus has caused us to be born again. It isn't because of anything great that we have done. In fact, as sinners, we didn't have sense enough to look for Jesus on our own. We did not choose Him, He chose us! (John 15:16-Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit). I just finished reading “Twelve Ordinary Men” last night. Although the focus of this book is to identify each of the Twelve as individuals, it labors to underscore the fact that Jesus chooses us. He chooses us, or calls us, at a point in our lives when we appear to be no more useful for God’s Kingdom than a box of rocks. It’s done this way so that we have no room for bragging or boasting about ourselves. Instead, God gets all the glory! (1 Corinthians 1:27-29- But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.)

Jesus found us and chose us to be instruments of His continuing ministry on earth. By responding in faith, we are afforded the right to become joint heirs in His inheritance. You find a lot about inheritance in the Old Testament. People inherited thrones, kingdoms, land, fortune, etc. Until the last twenty years or so, there was an abundance of inheritance passed on throughout generations in our own culture. You don’t hear much about people receiving an inheritance these days. If they inherit anything, it’s usually unpaid bills. It is becoming harder and harder to store up anything of value in order to pass it on at the time of death. People are struggling just to get by. I believe that this is not by mistake or misfortune. It is my belief that this struggle, not just financially, is a part of God’s plan in the last days to draw more people to Him. Think about it, these days, the poor are barely making ends meet, and the rich are sad and depressed. The poor have an abundance of relationships and no money; the rich have an abundance of money and no relationships. Time is running out and struggle keeps people on their knees in close relationship with the Father.

What am I getting at? Our inheritance is not of money or heir looms. Our inheritance is eternal salvation, guaranteed by the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His choosing us. It is through His death and resurrection that we have been redeemed, found. Our world is getting to the point where our inheritance with Him is the only thing we have left to hope for and to count on. People and possessions let us down. We were lost in them, but He found us. Remaining faithful to the end is the only eternal hope that we have to look forward to?

When life gets tough and you feel your troubles are relentless, be in peace, knowing the Father draws us closer in order to protect and sustain our faith so that, one day, we may be found in eternal glory! God bless you!