Trust me, I have nothing to brag about!  Heritage… of what?   My Roget’s Thesaurus lists these synonyms:  heredity, patrocliny(from the father),  matrocliny(guess from whom!?), gene factor, Weismann theory (probably put forth by some wisenheimer!),  and ancestors. What is your heritage?  Possibly Downton Abbey?  Mine is decidedly downtown Jersey City, New Jersey!

Your forebears came to the new world with the pilgrims on the Mayflower?  We moved to a new town using a Mayflower truck!  My patrocliny is probably some panic spells when I have clogged ears.  My matrocliny is an inherited sarcastic sense of humor.  Inheritance?  A few shekels… but nothing that put me in a higher tax bracket!   Inherited rank and prestige?  Military service to our great country?

Wait a minute.  I may have something there.  My grandfather Fischer was a civilian painter, painting barracks at Bergen Point, Long Island,  during  the Spanish-American War.  Pretty impressive, huh?   That even got me a 10% military discount at the outlet mall clothing store!  A heritage of service to our country!  My father, during World War 2, went to the basement of our Jersey City home and shovelled ash for the coal furnace to bring on a severe asthma attack before going to the Army induction office.  4-F, for sure!

Spend a moment if you would meditating on Psalm 61:5.  Soak in those words from the Word of God.   They speak of my heritage…and yours as well– ‘For you have heard my vows, O God;  you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.’  We have a heritage, even when we thought we had none.  The heritage of all who worship the Lord. Of all who bow the knee in humble submission to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  All of us…together are the heritage of the Lord!

Nothing we ever did to achieve it.  Nothing at all.  The verse says that God has ‘given’ us that heritage.  A gift.  Something offered to us by God Himself.  His heart is for everyone to receive this gift. His open hand offering us freely what cost Him everything.   We can’t work for it.  No.  ‘Jesus Paid It All’, just as the old hymn says.  When He said  ‘it is finished’,  He meant it.   He did for us what we could never do for ourselves.  Forget about trying to earn your salvation.  Won’t work.  He’s done it all.

Get it?  Please do…And enjoy the heritage GIVEN to us by God Himself.  Enjoy His growing family!  He cared to send the very best. He sent His only Son.  Brag about our heritage?  Brag about Jesus, the inheritance that’s plain out-of-this-world!

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for the heritage of worshiping you.  We owe you so much.   In Jesus’ name.  Amen.