Unclaimed Riches

Two days after Christmas, 2012, the body of a homeless cowboy was found under a Wyoming overpass. His name was Timothy Henry Gray. There was no sign of violence, just death by hypothermia. It was a very sad scene.

The situation became even more distressing when it was found out that he had just become the recipient of about $19 million. It was from the inheritance that had been passed down by Timothy’s great-grandfather who had been a wealthy copper miner and railroad builder. Additionally, he founded the town that grew to become Las Vegas. His fortune of about $300 million had all gone to Huguette, his granddaughter and Timothy’s mother, who now had died at age 104. Much of the money was still tied up in the courts when Timothy died, who was set to inherit about $19 million. He need not have died homeless and alone.

Source: Max Lucado in “Unshakable Hope” p.37

Did you know that each one of us can have an inheritance of even greater value than that? But it does not consist of money and possessions.

1Peter1: 4 “… an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…”
Collosians 3:24 “… since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Romans 8:17 “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him…”

I did not choose to become a Christian because of promises like that. I’m reluctant to think of rewards for serving the Lord but these are His promises. How does a person get in line for such a privilege? If we acknowledge that He is the Lord and we are accountable to Him, if we admit that we are sinners in need of forgiveness and if we place our trust in Him as our Savior He adopts us as His children, His family. And children are in line for an inheritance.

It isn’t just pie in the sky by and by, it’s also the best that life can offer here and now!

We are blessed!

Henry Wiebe