"GRACE TO YOU Daily Devotionals & Biblical Studies" DEVOTIONAL ... "INHERITING HEAVEN or HELL" JULY 24 — theme in "Drawing Near" is devoted to the BELIEVER'S Spiritual Blessings ... U can scroll down to restudy OR read what U missed. "INHERITING HEAVEN or HELL" "[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). EVERYONE RECEIVES AN ETERNAL INHERITANCE—either Heaven or Hell. We have seen several aspects of the BELIEVER'S INHERITANCE, and will see more in future days. But realize that unbelievers also will receive an inheritance, for Jesus will say to them, "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. . . . And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 25:41, 46). ONLY CHRISTIANS have eternal life and a ROYAL INHERITANCE. When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became a NEW CREATION IN CHRIST and your life began to center on Him rather than yourself. The Holy Spirit INDWELT you and began to TRANSFORM your attitudes and actions. That's the new birth! It's like starting all over again, only this time you're pursuing God's glory rather than worldly pleasures or goals. Also, when you were saved you became an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ (Rom. 8:17). So the NEW BIRTH was the means of your salvation and your eternal inheritance. Having said that, I must admonish you, just as Paul admonished the Corinthians, to "test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?" (2 Cor. 13:5). YOU NEVER WANT TO BE DELUDED ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST. When you trust in the living Lord, you have a living hope and a glorious eternal inheritance. Anything less results in an inheritance of eternal damnation. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies" (John 11:25). Be sure your faith is firmly fixed on Him. Suggestions for Prayer Pray for family and friends who don't know Christ. Ask the Lord to redeem them so He will be glorified, and they will become joint heirs with Christ. [ As a personal note, U are ALWAYS praying according to God's Will when you pray for the unsaved ... since ONLY GOD saves a sinner, not U or anyone other human, HE IS GLORIFIED when He saves someone, gives them spiritual life, transforms their life, takes them OUT OF darkness into light ... THEN the sinner is born again, a child of God, & a saint ... Paul wrote his Epistles to the 'saints in..." & these were believers, NOT 'dead people' that were falsely 'sainted' by the Roman Catholic church dogma which is FALSE TEACHING & b/c of their idolatry & traditions of men, they are no doubt all in hell. Sad, but true. ~ Jeri ]. For Further Study What do these verses teach about the new birth: JOHN 1:12-13 ... 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. JOHN 3:3 ... Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 1 PETER 1:23 ... for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187