He has given us new birth… into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV)
You have been born again into a new family. You are a child of God. And being a member of God’s family, you have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” Why? Because God will keep the inheritance for you.
That means God has a place in heaven for you. The reservation is made. It’s been paid for by the blood of Jesus. The inheritance has your name on it, and when you see it you will not be disappointed.
God also keeps you for the inheritance. You are “shielded by God’s power.” It would be a great tragedy if God kept the inheritance in heaven for you, but somehow you didn’t make it to heaven to receive the inheritance.
When you come to faith in Jesus, you are kept by God’s power, not for a few weeks or months, but until the moment you are brought into his presence. Your salvation does not depend on your ability to hold onto Christ, but on Christ’s ability to hold onto you. And his hands are stronger than yours. That’s the whole basis of Christian confidence or assurance.
Think about the two hands of Christ: In the one he holds an inheritance, and in the other he holds you. They are both safe in his hands, and on the day when he comes again in glory he will bring the two together, and you will enter into your inheritance in the presence of God.
How do you respond to the two hands of Christ?
