God’s Promise and Scripture

God’s Promise: Our inheritance is reserved for us.

Scripture: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3-4)

Devotional

My favorite part of each week is Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday nights are usually reserved for date night with my wife, Corey. Our babysitters are somehow all named Avery, so our kids (Caleb, 4, and Collins, 3) know that either Tall Avery, Camp Avery, or Blonde Avery is coming over. That weekly rhythm of 1:1 time with Corey is something I treasure, and I’m grateful we’ve made it a habit. Highly recommend.

Then on Friday nights, we don’t cook, we don’t go out—we order a pizza and let the kids pick a movie. Sometimes it takes fifteen minutes for them to agree on one. Other nights they nail it on the first try and I quietly mumble, “Thank you, Jesus.” If you ask my kids what we do on Fridays, they’ll proudly say, “Pizza Movie Night!”

Together, those two nights have become a cherished rhythm in my life. I’ve noticed that by the time Thursday or Friday rolls around, I’m more patient at work and more resilient to whatever problems show up, because I know something really good is coming at the end of the day. There’s this subtle “rest is coming” sigh of relief.

In a much deeper and more powerful way, Scripture tells us that every believer has the ultimate “rest is coming” promise.

1 Peter 1:3–4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.”

Our inheritance is already reserved for us. Rest is coming. And that is a really big deal. 

One of my biggest struggles, though, is staying mindful of that. I tend to get tunnel vision with my current problems and stressors. I forget to zoom out. I forget that whatever I’m dealing with is temporary, and that far greater things are coming.

Romans 8:18 says “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” 

But here’s the problem: most of us, myself included, don’t slow down long enough to let that truth sink in. Our minds get filled with other concerns—career, money, busyness, plans, idols, control, comfort, stress—until the hope of the gospel gets pushed to the background.

Jesus speaks directly to this in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Some seeds fall on the path, some on good soil, some on rocky ground, and some among thorns. He likened this to the word of the Lord falling on hearts. The seed among thorns, He says, grows—but it gets choked out by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches.

That’s many of us. We have good soil—we’re in church, we’re in community, we want to hear the word and understand it—but we’re surrounded by thorns. Our attention is swallowed up by everything else. And when that happens, even the hope of the gospel gets choked out. Not because it isn’t true, but because we’ve turned the volume down on it so low compared to everything else. 

If I’m honest, that’s me. I often drown out the hope and rest Jesus has already given me because the noise of work, money, idols, control, comfort, and plans is so much louder.

But this Christmas season gives us a natural moment to pause. To remember that because of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we can take the ultimate “rest is coming” sigh of relief. Our inheritance is secure. Our hope is here. And if we refuse to let the thorns choke out that truth, then the joy, peace, and rest of the gospel aren’t just future promises—they’re gifts we can experience today.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. How often do you intentionally think about heaven and eternity? Take a moment today to remember your eternal destiny and secure inheritance in Jesus that began with the birth of Christ. 

2. What worries, desires, idols, or stressors are currently taking up the most space in your mind? Could these be the “cares of the world” Jesus describes in the parable of the sower—thorns that choke out the word and keep it from bearing fruit in your life?

3. Are you bringing these burdens into community, or are you trying to fight them alone? God didn’t design us to battle the noise, the thorns, or the distractions in isolation. What would it look like to let your community group speak truth and encouragement into these areas?