My phone rings. A no-caller ID one. I don’t pick up numbers like that anymore these days. But this guy is persistent. I answer the phone later, half sceptical and not too friendly.

He says I should come to my great-grandfather’s farm. I don’t trust anything and want to put the phone down. With things like they are today and how often people get tricked, I don’t want to be stupid, too.

He tells me he is a lawyer in town and has a huge surprise for me. I check his details on the internet, call a friend of a friend who knows him, and decide to set off for my grandfather’s farm.

The lawyer meets me at the gate. He gets into my bakkie, because the road is too bad for his sports car. He is excited and smiling from ear to ear. “You won’t believe what you’re going to see today,” he says.

We stop in front of an old barn. A few men in overalls holding shovels are standing around. He pushes open a door. I see that they are restoring the hundred-year-old building. He gestures to me to walk towards the wall.

Wow, I have never seen such a thick wall. Then my eyes fall on the large chest in the middle of the wall. The lawyer says I must open it. Suddenly, light shines from the chest as the sun’s rays are reflected on gold bars.

I can’t believe my eyes. And he says: “There are another nine such chests hidden in the wall. You are the only heir …”

I can’t believe my luck. It’s like a story from a movie. Well, um, it’s actually just a story, because I dreamed that story as a child. Unfortunately, it never came true.

It would’ve been nice, but you know, we have a family member who has a lot more than chests of gold in the storeroom for us. Jesus’ death on the cross left us an inheritance out of this world.

We inherit a life that will never end. We inherit eternal happiness and fellowship with other believers and with Jesus and God. We will sing so loudly with the angels that the mountains will tremble without any earthly body stepping on the brakes.

Listen to this: ³What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! ⁴Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!

Rust causes thick, strong steel to crumble like a flaky crust on a milk tart. Moths eat holes in strong material. Here on earth, things are stolen, and we lose valuable possessions. Nothing can actually be guaranteed.

But our inheritance in heaven has a guarantee stamp from God. God backs the guarantee. Therefore, it will not perish, be contaminated, and much less wither. When we arrive there, you can believe with everything in you that your inheritance will be there waiting for you. Wow, how wonderful it is to look forward to such an inheritance!

Scripture
1 Peter 1:3-5

Reflection
What does your inheritance look like?
Do you believe it will be there?
Who can you tell about it?

Prayer
Father, how great You are! How great is Jesus! How great my inheritance! I’m so looking forward to it. Amen.