«And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise» (Galatians 3:29).
RENE JOLIOT-CURIE (1897—1956) inherited much more than an illustrious surname. As her parents—Marie and Pierre Curie—had been, Irene was an excellent student with a special predisposition for mathematics. From her two parents she inherited not only the physical, but also the intellectual: the love of science, dedication to studying, and a disposition to sacrificing her time and health in favor of culture and progress. All that inheritance had a radical impact on her life.
Since childhood, Irene was a brilliant person. As an adult, she received a formal education until she obtained the highest level possible: her doctorate; and she received prestigious awards, including the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1935. For two spouses and their daughter to be awarded the Nobel Prize is something tremendously extraordinary. inheritance (in every sense) that she enjoyed, plus her personal contribution, made this woman into all that she became.
And in your life, what effect does it have to know that you have received an inheritance as special as the one you read about in Scripture? What effect does it have on you, in the here and now, to know that «the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand» (John 3:35), and that through our faith in Him, we have access to the inheritance that Jesus has gone to prepare for us?
Perhaps the genetic inheritance we have received from our earthly parents is not extraordinary; perhaps the material inheritance they leave us when they depart from this world is not much; but within our reach is an incomparably greater and better inheritance. «And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering» (Romans 8:17, NLT). inheritance, as you see, is associated with a certain lifestyle (which is our personal contribution): understanding that our Master suffered here on this earth, and therefore we should not expect anything better or more comfortable. Sharing with Him a simple and humble life based on faith in God puts a wonderful inheritance of glory at our fingertips.
Therefore, let us give «thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light» (Colossians 1:12).