To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:4
The late Gospel preacher Albert Ramsay once told an account of a discussion that occurred while he was standing in line at a drug store (yes, people in lineups in Charlottetown do talk to each other). The subject that came up was of how rich certain people were. Some told of wealthy people they knew who had millions in money, and some told of people whose property holdings were worth hundreds of millions. Most of those in the discussion admitted that they knew nothing of such wealth. But Albert spoke up, saying he had no idea what he was worth. Then, with their attention captured, he explained to the group that as a Christian he had an inheritance that was far beyond the ability of any calculator on earth to measure. It made for an excellent opportunity to share the Gospel, and Albert was a master at finding and seizing such opportunities. But our inheritance in Heaven is not just a witnessing tool, it is a real and powerful reality that should make a difference in our lives.
More than $58,000,000,000 is lying unclaimed in retirement accounts in the United States. Did those people forget about that money? No, they died before they could collect it. Those people thought that they had laid up a nice pension for themselves for their retirement, but it all went to waste as far as they are concerned. In recent years, many of the pension funds that people have been depending on have been depleted by crashing markets and poor investments. How good to know that what you and I invest in Heaven’s Bank of Glory cannot be lost. We recall the words of Jim Elliot who died while he and four others were taking the Gospel to the Auca Indians in Ecuador: ‘He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose’. Although he died a young man with so few of life’s ambitions realized, Jim Elliot has entered into an inheritance that far exceeds any that has ever been paid out here on earth. And what is true of him is true of all of us; as we invest in the things of God, as we live our short lives here with eternity’s values in view. ‘And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever’ (Daniel 12:3).
If the commitment we make to the things of the Lord exceed the commitment we make to the things of this world, our investment in the Bank of Glory will exceed our investment in the fleeting accounts of time. – Jim MacIntosh