An Inheritance
Praise to the God and Father of Jesus Christ, the Lord almighty, for he has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through Jesus. We can't even understand what incredible things he has provided for us in the spiritual sense. As far as we know, it costs God nothing to give us nice things; God chose to give us His everything: His son. God yearns for us— the little sniveling, dirty rebels that we are—to be holy and blameless in His sight. Out of love, he meant for us to become sons and daughters through Jesus, in accordance to his pleasure and will. He wills for us to be his children. Can you comprehend what that means? In this day and age, the idea of an inheritance is lessened by our culture. God wants for us to receive everything that he has given to Jesus. We share in Christ’s inheritance. So then how can we complain if we have every possible blessing coming to us?

It brings God pleasure to bless us. Have you ever thought of God looking at you and your life with all your baggage, your junk, and your ups and downs, and then saying, "I want to be generous to you. I long to give to you just what would make you happy--not because you deserve it, but because there's something about who I am that would bring me infinite joy to express that kind of generosity to you." Although it's true that God's plans do not always work out in the ways we would prefer, it is amazing how often we focus on the relatively few difficult circumstances of our lives and tend to forget his repeated, loving acts of deliverance that occur so regularly. We get the love that Jesus gets; take some time to reflect on what that means.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, because of God’s incredible grace that He chooses to lavish us with. With all His wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. What a blessing that is! We don’t have to wonder what God requires from us. He has made it clear! He doesn’t let us wander around trying to appease any sort of god we can dream up; he reveals himself to us. That alone is a blessing. Be He goes further: not only did he shows us what he requires, but he allows us to achieve this impossible task through Jesus Christ. He is bringing all things in heaven and earth into unity under our incredible king, Jesus Christ. Do you know God’s will for your life? It is not so much what you are supposed to do, but who you are supposed to be. He shows us in His word; He shows us through Jesus.

How do I know if I am doing this right?
Many times we begin to panic, wondering if our actions are according to his will. Am I supposed to go there? Am I supposed to work here? Am I supposed to date this person? Am I supposed to be a part of this church? Am I supposed to eat this ham sandwich? Are my curtains supposed to be green or red? Too often we feel like we need confirmation for every single action we take. There is a difference between listening to God and trying to fill in the silence with His voice.

The Father’s Drawing Board
Perhaps an analogy will help. With any analogy, it will break down in parts, but I think this idea makes a good point:
            The Father gives his child a piece of paper and some drawing utensils. He wants his child to draw him something. The child responds “What should I draw? What colors should I use? Can I use this shape? Are there certain colors you like better than others? Can I ask someone else how to do it?  How much time do I have to draw?” But the thing is, the Father is not nearly as concerned as what the child draws, but instead his motivation behind drawing it. No matter what the child draws, the Father is going to slap that thing on the fridge and say it is the best picture He has ever seen. As long as the child does not start drawing on the walls or drawing on other people, or stabbing the dog with the pencil, the Father will be pleased. As long as the child draws for the Father and not to become the next big artist or impress the kid across the room, the Father will be delighted.

Maybe we need to stop worrying about exactly what we are doing and start making something beautiful for our Father with the materials He has given us.

We are children with a mission
Not only have we been chosen to be his children, but he has a plan for our lives such that we could live for his praise, the only reason worth living. You were included with Christ when you heard the good news and came alive. When you believed, you were marked in Christ by a seal; that seal is the Holy Spirit that He has promised. The Holy Spirit guarantees our inheritance until God redeems everything and we are finally, wholly, and completely His.

Dear blog reader, I give thanks for all that you do and you are in my prayers, whoever you may be. I keep asking that that God would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation through these words, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart would be opened to the hope that he has called you to. I pray for his glorious inheritance and his great power to be a part of your life. This power is the same power that brought Jesus up from the dead; let that power pour out of your life. Jesus is the King of everything here, there and everywhere; now, back then, and upcoming… Let us worship Him with our lives!