And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So, you are no longer a slave but child, and if a child then also an heir, through God. (Galatians 4:6-7)
I once knew a woman who changed her will every year. When one of her children didn’t comply with her wishes, she would call her attorney in order to exclude that child from her will. By the time she died, her family had been destroyed.
Imagine you are now in a lawyer’s office. The will is about to be read. The room is packed. You can’t imagine that everyone could be an heir. You wonder if you will receive more or less than the others in the room.
The attorney then begins to read the will: “This is my last will and testament: To you, Barbara, my precious child, I give you my love, the grace of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit.”
The attorney continues: “To you, Paul…” and then you hear that he’s going to receive exactly what Barbara had received. When all the other children’s names are called, they all receive exactly the same.
When your name comes up, you receive the same. You’d worried Fran deserved more than you; but she didn’t get more. You’d figured you deserved more than Mark; but Mark didn’t get less.
Jesus came to give us a new relationship with God the Father. In order for us to experience that new intimacy, “God sent the Spirit into our hearts so that we would call God “Abba! Father!”
Since God is our Abba and Father, we aren’t slaves but children, and being children we are heirs. Heirs of what? The very best God has to give, both in this life and in the next.
Being children of God, we can trust that there’s more than enough love for all. Being heirs of God’s blessings, we can rest assured that our inheritance will be lavish beyond comprehension.
Whereas the woman I once knew destroyed her family by how she manipulated her will, Jesus creates a new family by how He has so graciously included us into His.
Reflection Questions:
- As an heir in God’s will, how do you feel about getting the same as everyone else? Do you believe that your being an heir isn’t about what you deserve, but about what God desires?
- As an heir in God’s will, what have you received? Is there anything good in your life that isn’t from God?
- God hopes that His lavish gifts will inspire us to live abundantly and to give generously. Do you?