I have set a personal project this winter to clean up and restore my father’s tools. My father has been in heaven for almost six years, and before he left, I acquired his tools. This past fall, I thought I should restore them and bring them back as close as possible to their original look. I did not realize then the impact they would make. My mother had told me that my father purchased many of these tools with his military severance pay when he returned from Germany after WWII. I began to think of the price he paid for those tools. As I began to clean them, my mind went back to the days when I was with my father on the farm. I wondered if some of that grime I was taking off was from those days. After I cleaned them, I placed them in a rust liquifying agent to remove any rust. They had set unused for many years.
I wonder today about all the things that Lord has given us. He paid the supreme price of His Blood so that we could have them. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins so we could not only receive salvation but so we could also receive an inheritance. 1st Peter 1:3-5 tells us that we have not only been born again by the Father’s mercy through the resurrection of Jesus, but we have also received an inheritance. Then Peter tells us about that inheritance. It is imperishable. The Greek word used there means something that cannot decay. Our inheritance in Christ will not and cannot be destroyed. But just like my father’s tools, our inheritance can be neglected. It can go unused.
Peter also described our inheritance as undefiled. The Greek word means to remain ritually unstained. To a Jewish person that would mean that nothing can stain it in such a way that God would deny it. Our inheritance will never be stained by sin! God is always there to see that we receive the inheritance that is ours through our faith in Jesus. Many times, when we have sinned, we feel like God has turned His back on us and that we are not worthy to receive our inheritance. That is not true! It is not based on our performance; it is based on our faith in what Jesus did for us.
Peter continues by telling us that our inheritance will not fade away. Our inheritance is constant. It is always there in fullness. It will always be there. It is eternal because He who promised it is eternal. The last thing Peter tells us is that it is reserved in heaven. Some would try to tell us that our inheritance is just for heaven. That is also not true. The Greek word for reserved is tēreo. It means to watch over something. Our Father is watching over our inheritance. Jeremiah 1:12 is one of my favorite passages, “Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.” Our Father in heaven watches over us and over our inheritance to know that He is making sure that we receive our inheritance.
First Peter 1:5, Peter tells us that our inheritance is protected because of our faith. In this verse, Peter is talking about heaven. Our inheritance will be complete in the last time. I am thankful that God will complete our inheritance.
I want to encourage you! If you have neglected what you have already received as an inheritance, clean it off and remove the rust from what Jesus has given us as our inheritance.