Man is sustained by hope.  Without it, we struggle to survive the drudgery of everyday living.  Sometimes the only thing that can help us make it through a particularly difficult time is the hope of a brighter day.

As Christians, we have hope.  No matter how good or bad our day has been, we know a better day is coming.  We know we have an imperishable inheritance in heaven.

1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV)
³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴  to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 

No matter what has happened in your life today, whether you have had a good day, a bad day, or just a tiring day, you know that, as you read these words, you are an heir of God and that matters.  It matters because it gives you the hope of a better day—a day in which you take ownership of your inheritance.

Peter used three terms to describe the inheritance of our hope.  Our inheritance is incorruptible.  It is not liable to corruption or decay.  Our inheritance is undefiled.  It is not susceptible to contamination.  Our inheritance fades not away.  Its beauty and splendor are perpetual.  Could there ever be a better inheritance than the one we are promised as Christians?

How different is our inheritance from that of an earthly one?  What can you inherit in this world that does not soon lose its attractiveness and appeal?  In fact, what can you inherit in this world that does not, at some point, perish altogether?  Can you think of anything?

You inherit money, but before you know it, someone else is spending it, and soon it is gone.  Solomon once said, “When goods increase, they increase who eat them (Ecclesiastes 5:11).  You inherit your father’s business, and before you know it, instead of you running the business, the business is running you. You inherit a house, and before you know it, the roof is leaking, and the floors are squeaking.  All material inheritances are doomed to be lost, and that is precisely why we should not put our confidence in them.  We should set our sights on something greater.  Jesus put it like this:

Matthew 6:19-20 (ESV)
¹⁹  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰  but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Earthly inheritances do not offer much hope.  Our hope, on the other hand, involves an inheritance that is endless, eternal, and everlasting.   Yes, Christians will suffer.  Sometimes our suffering will be random, and at other times our suffering will be enforced, or at least allowed, by God.  He has a track record of purifying His people by the trials of life (Hebrews 12:6-11).  Sometimes our suffering will be just a part of our lot as committed Christians, but through it all, we have a heavenly inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fades not away.  Let us rejoice!     

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.