August 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Every person is advised to make a will, even if he or she has little to pass on. The living are greedy, and they can quarrel much over little.

In a will, a person "declares his mind as to the manner in which he would have his estate disposed of after his death." That last clause is important. The executor of a will cannot open the will and divide the estate unless he has proof of the death of the testator. Even the Bible says: "In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it" (v. 16).

God made a "will" or "testament" or "covenant." Since the Bible writers have one word for all three of these English terms, it does not sound so strange to say: "God made a will." In that will, God promised the "eternal inheritance" to "those who are called." Now the big question is: Are we in God's will? Who exactly are "those who are called"?

We know for sure that Abraham is mentioned in God's will. It was to Abraham that God started to talk about his will (or covenant promise). Moses is also mentioned, of course. And the people of Israel. But you are in there too. And so am I. To us God said, "This is the blood of the covenant" (v. 20). That's the proof that your name is in the will.

In fact, we are much more convinced that we are entitled to the "promised eternal inheritance" than the people in Moses' time. In those days, the will was still contestable. There was no proof that the death had occurred. The opponents of God's heirs, led by their chief, Satan (whose name means adversary), were always saying that those whom God had called were not really entitled to the inheritance. But now this matter has been settled. The will of God is now incontestable.

Those who have been called are getting the inheritance, for "he has died as a ransom."

REFLECTIONS

Why are you in God's will? What "inheritance" do you expect to receive from God?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.