LightGrams
July 25, 2024
Volume 28, Number 20
Kendryx Nicely, 13 years old, has special memories of fishing with his dad. They often got on the water together and photos prove that the two of them knew how to catch fish. Two years ago, the father passed away, leaving Kendryx with his dad’s fishing pole, which he treasured.
Recently Kendryx was on Norris Lake in East Tennessee fishing from a kayak. A gust of wind caught the treasured pole and blew it off the kayak. The boy watched the pole sink into the deep waters and figured he had seen it for the last time.
His grandmother knew of a diver who specialized in retrieving objects lost underwater. After searching for only a few minutes the pole was found. “The smile on his face was priceless,” the diver later wrote. Kendryx has decided that the heirloom rod will hang on his bedroom wall instead of taking another chance of losing it.
Since I was young, I remember hearing people talk about how life would be better “when my rich uncle dies”. That uncle was unknown to them, but we can always dream, right? No one to my knowledge through the years, however, has ever had that unexpected windfall come their way.
The apostle Paul spoke in Acts 20:32 about an inheritance that you and I may claim. He said to the elders of the church at Ephesus, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” What exactly do we know about that inheritance?
In his letter to the Christians at Ephesus Paul wrote that “every spiritual blessing” is “in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). A few verses later he said this: “In Him we also have obtained an inheritance …” (Ephesians 1:11). Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 25:34: “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” Our inheritance is a kingdom?! Through Jesus we have an inheritance.
Let’s not forget, though, the price Jesus paid to make us heirs of such a wonderful estate. Philippians 2:7,8 describes the price: “[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
Jesus left heaven to come to earth; you might call that a “dive”, couldn’t you? He plunged into the depths of humanity so that we might be rescued from our sins and become heirs of an incredible kingdom. Such a mission boggles the mind! 2 Corinthians 8:9 sums it up beautifully: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Followers of Christ now hold something of immense value, a heavenly inheritance, all because Jesus dived into the depths of this sinful world. Without Him, we have nothing of any lasting value.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2024, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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