Day 27

Claim Heavenly Treasure: Adapted from Colossians 1.3-5. I give thank to God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for greater faith in Jesus Christ and greater love to be shared with others. I do this full of the hope laid up in heaven, according to the word of truth and the grace God freely given. I ask to be filled with the knowledge of Your will, spiritual wisdom and understanding, that I may walk in a manner of worthy of You, to please You in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in knowledge of God. Strengthen me with all power according to your glorious might to become more steadfast, patient, joyful, giving thanks for my share of inheritance on Christ’s Kingdom. I ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, the first born of all creation and the image of the invisible God. Amen.

I have a vivid memory of our 5-year-old son asking to buy something I said was too expensive. His quizzical response was, “You can just go to the machine with your card and get money.” He had no concept that we first had to deposit money into that account. So I wonder if we as adults think we have to give something to God before God will bless us? Matthew 18.3 tells us, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Do we understand that God’s blessings for us require no minimum balance, and there are no hidden fees. In the spiritual aspect of our lives—the blessings are already there for us to receive. As was pointed out yesterday, God stands ready to forgive us—not because we have earned it—but because God loves us more than we can imagine.

It is difficult for us to understand that God is not like any human being—humanity did not create God in its image, God created humanity in God’s image. This prayer says we are “giving thanks for our share of inheritance in Christ’s Kingdom.” The world’s economy and God’s economy seldom line up neatly. I grew up in a family that had limited resources. My parents lived “from paycheck to paycheck” and the fear of not getting a paycheck was real. My father was paid on commission, which meant if he did not sell that week, he was given a “draw” but it would be taken out of anything he made the next week. He was an extremely driven man who never had to take a “draw.” However, the one thing both of my parents had that never was dependent on material wealth was faith in God. This meant they were not jealous of what others had. So while I grew up without many luxuries, grace abounded.

I do not want to minimize the resource challenges that most of us face. I just want us to understand our “share of inheritance in Christ’s Kingdom” is real. It took me long time to appreciate that Christ’s Kingdom exists “on earth as in heaven.” The Kingdom of God is right here, right now. So while material blessings do not get factored into the GNP and are not measured economically, they are tangible resources that show us what life on earth as in heaven can reflect. Can we take time to list all of the benefits we receive in one day that cost nothing but are priceless on earth as in heaven? Will we begin to claim our share of inheritance in Christ’s Kingdom on earth as in heaven? (I would love to see and share your lists if you do.)