When
we start living according to this truth, our lives will be radically
transformed. We will not only come to know the full freedom of the children of
God but also the full rejection of the world. It is understandable that we
hesitate to claim the honor so as to avoid the pain. But, provided we are
willing to share in Christ’s suffering, we also will share in his glory (see
Romans 8:17). http://henrinouwen.org/meditation/joint-heirs-christ/
The above thoughts are provided by
the Christian writer, Henri J. M. Nouwen. It brings to the forefront of our
awareness who we really are. Our inheritance is our present possession now!
That is why we are the richest people on the face of the earth.
I
have no idea how the Spirit
himself joins with our spirit to bear witness that we are indeed the children
of God! But the awareness that this is happening daily is a gospel blessing
that goes largely unrecognized in the Christian community. Think of how this
helps us in our daily living as a Christian.
When I feel like I have no
inheritance, and there appear to be no blessings in sight because my daily life
has become so chaotic, painful and desperate, I can go forward in the faith
that the Spirit himself is still bearing witness as to who I am.
This means that my external
situations and frustrations and anxieties do not define my spiritual childhood
with God, nor does it negate and take away my inheritance as a joint-heir with
God and with Christ.
Another astounding aspect of all
this is, that in our own suffering we share in the suffering of Christ. The
pain of life helps me appropriate the pain of Christ’s suffering which is
mysteriously and divinely appropriated toward making me more like Him.
Being a child of God, with Spirit’s
testimony, and being a joint-heir with my inheritance being enjoyed now
redemptively transforms the pain in my life. Being open to God’s providential
working in the world, my commitment to a faith walk with God says that I will
open up my pain for others to see the glory of God working through it all to
transform me to be more and more like Christ.
What a blessing to be a joint-heir! And, I wonder how those of us who are in Christian leadership roles understand our being a joint-heir with Christ, and do we embody the joy of our inheritance for others to see?
In
Christian love, Curtis
