“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4, NIV).
There is a tradition that some Christian parents do when they give birth to a baby – buying a new Bible as the first gift for the baby. This gift may be presented publicly during the naming ceremony or during the dedication of the baby. I observed this tradition for my two children and kept the copies of the Bible on my bookshelves in my study. My intention was to present the copies of the Bible to the children when they are fully grown up.
Recently, a mild drama took place in my study as I was looking for some books on my bookshelves. My eight-year-old son was with me looking at the books on the shelves. He called my attention to a particular book. When I looked at the book, it turned out to be the particular Bible I had bought for him eight years ago. I asked him if he likes it, he said yes.
Then I asked him to open the title page and read the autograph there. He was surprised to discover that that Bible is a present to him right from the day of his naming ceremony. He just prostrated in appreciation of the hidden treasure.
Do you know that God has some hidden treasures for you also? Some of these hidden treasures will be revealed unto us on earth, some of them will be revealed in heaven. Peter talked about “an inheritance” that has been stored for the regenerated ones in heaven.
This inheritance “can never perish, spoil or fade.” It is apart from the living hope that we have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No matter what happens on earth, a true Christian has that hope of legacy stored for him/her in heaven. Nevertheless, it not only in heaven that he/she would enjoy such legacy. Even here on earth, he/she has many things that a non-Christian cannot boast of. He/she has the grace, mercy, peace and love of God in abundance. These qualities surpass all human understanding. In fact, the Christian is richly blessed in the Lord!
What is your heart desire? What are you aspiring to be? The Lord has in store for you both on earth and in heaven more than what you can imagine. It is kept for you for the appointed time. Surrender your total life to Him. Trust in Him. He will soon surprise you!
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).
+234 805 515 9591
http://www.thewordt hruthenet. org/
http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/spirituald igest2003/
I enjoyed reading the story about the gift of a bible to your son.
In 2007, God sent another message. The message is this:
We each die in succession, then we are born on the same day.
God also talked about the inheritance in Heaven. I think most people will be surprised to find out what it is. I think it is possible that he has kept it a secret until now.