23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
4 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,[b] though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles[c] of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
I, along with my sisters, am an heir to my mom and dad's estate, which includes the family farm. It was homesteaded by my great, great, great grandfather. it is a wonderful peace of property and one that I spent many hours on as a child. At the same time, at this point in my life, I have no use for it. I like to go and visit my family there. I enjoy the woods and the old buildings, reminiscing of days gone by, but it is far away from Warrenton, my mom and dad still live there at least half the year, and one of my second cousins is using the buildings for steers. So that inheritance, although it is mine, is far from my mind most of the time.
Unfortunately, that's the way a lot of people, maybe even you, think about your eternal life in Christ. You think of it as a far away, far off, and much later thing than it actually is. You think of it as an inheritance you will receive when you die, and so until then you have too many other things to think about. The trouble with that way of thinking is twofold.
1. You never know when that last minute, hour, or day off your life is going to be. I'm sure the family of the two year old boy who was taken by an alligator at Disneyworld weren't thinking about such things as they enjoyed their time there. I'm sure the families of the 49 people killed in Orlando weren't concerned about their son's or daughter's lives simply going to a nightclub.
I'm sure you are planning out your day as if you're going to make it through till the end. Maybe you will.... Maybe you won't. That's why we always pray "Thy will be done."
2. You ALREADY HAVE THE INHERITANCE! You are already saved. You already have eternal life, RIGHT NOW! Even though your body dies, you, the you that really makes you who you are right now, will live forever. It's not just guaranteed to be yours, it IS yours.
This means that you no longer have to enslave yourself to the sin of this world. You don't have to continue in bitterness and resentment. You no longer have to be a slave to drugs or alcohol. You don't have to keep living your past sins over and over again. You don't have to live in fear of the eternal judge, because He has already declared you not guilty on account of Christ. You can be sorrowful that sin and death continue to consume people here on earth, but you can be free from letting that sorrow consume you.
Oh what a joy it is to know our heavenly Father loves us so much that He has given us this inheritance! Praise the Lord and enjoy life today!
Prayer: Lord, help me to enjoy my inheritance right now by living my life in joy, and especially by being in Your house in worship and among your people in fellowship and service. Amen.
CALENDAR
Wed- Ladies Aid meeting 10am
Thurs- L 101 @ 7
Fri- NO Bible study at Hendershots
Sat- Men's breakfast 8am; Worship 5pm; 18-35 year old BBQ 6pm
Sun- worship 8:30; Sunday school 9:45; Worship 11; Father's Day
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Lydia Miller 11- George Pezold
Ushers- Allan Dreyer, Lew Feldkamp, Kent Jacobsmeyer, Paul Klover
Altar- Set up- Cheri' Hofeldt; Clean Up- Pam Linke
Elders- Sat- Randy Fischer; 8:30- Jason Cluver; 11- Charlie Figura
Greeters- 8:30- Paul and Cindy Klover; 11- Doug and Ruth Walters
Lay Readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone 8:30- Allan Dreyer; 11- Kailyn Blechle
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Piano- Barb Dreyer
Projectionists: Sat- ????? (I need someone as Pam has requested to be taken off the scchedule) 8:30- Dawn Sherman 11- Masters
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YESTERDAY'S QUIZ: How long did Jehoahaz reign as king?
17 years, or as Pat King says.... until he croaked.
https://youtu.be/5GdFb96nHi8
Here's how it works:
