“…giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
Colossians 1:12
Ah, what glorious inheritance we have in the Kingdom of Light. We have, of course, the incredible inheritance of salvation. Without the inheritance of salvation, we may as well forget about the rest… if we have all the blessings but won’t live with Him forever, what’s the point? Father, I give you thanks for the inheritance of eternal salvation.
This inheritance has so many facets. In every way, He has promised to provide for our needs. Not only that, but He is also providing something of even far greater importance than our needs: He has given us opportunity to be a part of His plan to rescue the world.
I think that many times those of us who are ministry-minded recognize this part of the inheritance, but in a slightly skewed way. We read verses like “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me because He has appointed me to preach good news” (Is. 61:1) and “Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance” (Ps. 2:8) While these verses are completely relevant to ministry, we forget from Whom we are receiving the inheritance in the first place! And like the Prodigal Son, we claim our inheritance and run.
I don’t have much experience on the field. But I have experienced this “Prodigalism” in a way I least expected. No, I haven’t turned from my faith or rejected my Savior… but to one degree, I’ve taken this inheritance of a “call to the field” as my own. What is my vision? What is my part, my role?
Thinking of the biblical story, I can imagine that the father was so excited about his son’s future inheritance. He wanted his son to be blessed. Yet he never desired that his son’s pursuit would be the inheritance, but instead that his son would pursue a relationship with him as father. The son, though, had other desires and demanded that his father give him what was rightfully his. In a sense, I’ve “demanded” my inheritance – “Father, You said I have this inheritance, now show me what it is so I can pursue it.” But the heart of my Father is not that I pursue my inheritance. It’s not that I clarify my exact role on the field so I can feel satisfied. It’s not that I claim provision, protection and favor. His desire is that I pursue Him and He will open that inheritance to me in His timing.
Like the father in the story, our Father desires to bless us. Would He give me the inheritance I’m demanding now? He might. But that’s not my heart’s desire. My heart’s desire is that in His timing, I will receive all that He has.
Finally, like it says in Colossians 1, HE is the One who has qualified me to even share in this inheritance. As someone recently shared with me, “No one owes you anything, but God in His graciousness has promised you a hope and a future.” Without the promise of His qualification for this incredible inheritance, nothing else would matter.
Although this blog was mostly for my own benefit (I learn a lot by writing), I do want to encourage you as my reader: Don’t demand God’s promises outside of His timing. Yes, believe and claim that He has great things, but if He says wait, wait. Don’t be like the prodigal son, believing that you, in yourself, are qualified to receive the inheritance. He has qualified us and the richest life will be to live in that inheritance in His timing.