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Well first of all I must confess that the basis of this note came from a pastor the wife and I saw on TV a few years ago. It was such a good idea though it stayed with me. So, I thought I would share it.
A paraphrase of the pastor's point would be - "You walk around sad and mad, I am a child of God and a heir to the throne of heaven. I did not inherit sadness and madness, I inherited joy and peace." Wow!! Pretty simply, really clear, and really there is little to say after that.
How many times do Christians forget that we / they are heirs to God's throne. God has the capacity and the desire to bless us and feel us with joy and peace. Many Christians get saved and then still walk around mad and frustrated. That is not what God gave us, that is not His plan or will for our lives. God gives us peace, joy, happiness, and the rest of the stuff we carry around results from our fallen nature that brings anger and pain.
Christians can be some of the angriest and meanest people you ever meet. Sometimes their anger comes from bad treatment within the church, but many times it comes from a general unhappy state in the life of the person. The wondering / frustrated church goer does not have worldly means to drown and escape their problems, even temporarily, so they lash out at everyone and everything around them. They simply do not understand what Christ has for them. The result is a person that is lonely, angry and mad. It is their frustration showing in their lives that makes them so unhappy.
Understand, I am not saying that all anger is wrong, and there is a just emotion called righteous anger. The problem is that most of the anger that Christians show each other, and the world, is not righteous anger. What most Christians are showing is worldly anger and frustration. That is not what God has for us. He does / did not promise us great earthly riches, nor fame, nor earthly success. We are not promised a worry free life, nor removal of all our earthly problems when we accept Him. People looking for a quick spiritual fix from God will be disappointed. All though forgiveness and salvation are instant and based on faith alone, many of the rewards and blessings of God take time to develop. Bottom line the saved receive eternal peace, not earthly absolution and ease. Walking with Christ takes a long term time commitment, devotion, consistency, and patience, all things that we do not value in modern society.
With all of that said, God does offer to bless us with a life of contentment, joy and peace. That is our true earthly inheritance. What we did not inherit when we came to God was a life of judging others, frustration, anger, indecision, unhappiness and disillusionment. By accepting Christ, we inherit a place in heaven and all the peace and joy that comes with that. That is sufficient and enough to provide for our earthly emotional struggles.
Today, regardless of your state, I encourage you to not be a angry and frustrated person, especially if you are called a Christian. If you are a Christian I encourage you live like you are a heir to the throne of Heaven. You are not a slave or servant, but a full heir to the peace, joy and happiness God brings into the lives of those that He calls His own. Our inheritance in Christ is a place in heaven, and it is time Christians lived up to that standard, instead of down to the lowest acceptable level we / they can find. Stay strong, be courageous, serve God mightily and be the heir to Heaven that God wants you to be.
