UNBELIEVABLE! I thought.

After I opened the letter that had just arrived in my office and began to read the notification, it quickly occurred to me I had just received the letter most folks can only dream of.

“Cynthia! Look!”

She casually read the letter and mumbled, “I don’t....”

“Wait! Look...it’s an inheritance!” I interrupted.

The paper informed us that we recently received partial rights to a natural gas well. The rights were owned by my maternal grandfather, Mr. L. O. Lundy. When he passed, rights then went to my mother. When she passed, rights went to my father. Then, sometime after he passed, the rights transferred to me and my siblings.

After showing it to Cynthia, I picked up the phone to call Luci.

“Sis!”

“What?”

“You get a letter?”

She said, “Yeah...we’re now rich!”

“I know it—it’s fantastic!” I replied.

All we had to do was wait for the royalties to stream in without so much as lifting a pinkie or breaking a sweat.

So, we waited. Then, waited. And waited. And...finally! There it was. The first cheque arrived in the mail. I opened the envelope and rushed to find the amount from our partial ownership of this cash gusher, and...$1.37.

Talk about a letdown.

I called up Luci: “Hey toots, how you doin’?”

“Did you get your cheque?” she asked.

“Yeah...we ain’t rich, you know.”

“I know,” she sighed.

The trickle continued. I remember one quarter’s proceeds delivered 86 cents. The paper and postal stamp cost more than the royalty itself! One time, I skimmed through the fine print and discovered that our share was something like one-eighth of one-10th of one-30th of one-50th of one-fourth of one-half of one percent! At least, it felt like it. We got tired of keeping all the records, so you know what we did? We sold it!

Isn’t that story a lot like life without God?

The offerings of this world promise so much! But chasing it all—and even getting it all—without Jesus leaves us with about $1.37.

Jesus captured it best when He said, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

Following Christ, however, offers immediate rewards and an eternal inheritance.

Jesus said,

“I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life.” (Mark 10:29–30, emphasis added)

The book of Revelation, our program’s focus in recent months, spotlights that last promise from Jesus: our future heritage in Him. Christ’s eternal promise will not leave you with $1.37.

Elsewhere, I’ve emphasized “Heaven’s Magnificent Negatives.” Read through Revelation 21–22 and simply note everything John says will not be in heaven. All the negatives listed are enough to make you pause.

Heaven, though, is not merely the absence of evil and evil’s effects.

So, let’s talk about a few of the positives.

First and foremost, we get full enjoyment of and fellowship with Christ—receiving all the benefits of being His co-heir, God’s adopted children (Revelation 21:3, 7).

You will be at home with God. God will be at home with you.

You will see Christ face-to-face, and He will give you a new name (2:17; 22:4).

The new earth will offer enough delights to fill eternity.

God’s presence will light up every corner and crevice.

The water of life will flow freely.

The tree of life will bloom eternally.

Just take a moment to try to imagine it all!

And it says we will reign with Jesus (22:5).

All this, and more, is our inheritance in Christ. It’s ours in deposit now.

Bank on it my friend. Let these words quicken your mind and heart in devotion to your Lord and love for others. He wants us to rest in this hope and live by this hope. Feel the passion in Jesus’ promise:

“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book...I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End…I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” (Revelation 22:7, 13, 16)

If another surprise inheritance letter comes in the mail, I’ll think twice before getting my hopes up. If something seems unbelievable, it probably is...unless it is God who says it.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 NASB2020)

Jesus promised our eternal inheritance and the Bible records it. The royalties are vast beyond our wildest dreams. Believe it!