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Signposts: Daily Devotions

Written by Renée Miller

Wednesday, June 17

So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
—Galatians 4:7

We are heirs to many things. We inherit the genetic makeup of our parents. We inherit the stories that are part of our family's memory. We inherit mannerisms, customs, habits, body traits.  Sometimes after our parents die, we even inherit property and money. 

From the moment of our conception, we are brought into a particular family system and begin the process of inheritance.  Sometimes our earthly inheritance is not what we would hope it to be, and sometimes it exceeds our highest expectations. 

It is undeniably true, however, that just by virtue of being born, we are heirs— whether or not we ever receive money or property from our family's estate. It is also undeniably true, that our inheritance in most instances is somewhat haphazard. We rarely know what our full inheritance is or will be.

Our eternal inheritance— being stamped with the image or genetics of God— is not haphazard. We are fully and always heirs of purity and goodness because we inherit the divine nature. As heirs of heaven, we have the capacity to live our lives in the running stream of holiness.

Holiness may not appear to be a very attractive inheritance, but that’s  because we associate holiness with work, prudish-ness, fanaticism, and self-denial.  The running stream of holiness is anything but that. Looked at through another lens, it is nothing other than a life of freedom, delight, and abandon.

It means we don't have to work to be perfect— we can simply swim like playful children in the stream of God, and find joy in the inheritance that is given to us by the gracious hand of heaven. 

Gracious God, let me swim free in the stream that alone has the power to fill my life with joy.