Whether you have ever received an inheritance or not, we are probably aware of what it is and what it isn’t. First, it isn’t something we have earned, since the donor has chosen us to be the recipient. Another aspect of an inheritance is that it may not always be something we expected. Some people wind up with items they have no idea what to do with, such as a flowerpot collection. A third factor regarding an inheritance is that normally, in order to be collected, someone has had to die.
In addressing the church in Ephesus, Paul points out that not only are believers considered children of God, but also that they have a share in a great inheritance. We have been chosen, and part of our inheritance has already been given to us here and now! God has gifted us with skills and talents that we are able to use in this life, even if we sometimes feel like we have been left the flowerpot collection. And yet, even flowerpots have value.
This is all possible because of the willing death of Jesus on the cross. That death illustrates the lengths God will go to for us, God’s chosen, who have a share in the greatest inheritance.
Loving God, thank you for the gifts of the Spirit. Help me to use them well. Amen. —