In December 2011, ABC News carried the story of an anonymous Kansas City woman who received $6.1 million, the largest unclaimed money award in U.S. history. Generations ago, her ancestors had invested in a long-forgotten company, and she was the lawful beneficiary of all that had accumulated. The story also said that throughout the U.S., $32 billion of unclaimed money is waiting for its rightful owners. Sometimes, those waiting funds can be huge.
The lesson here is obvious: when we do not claim our inheritance, we may lose out—big time. 
The Bible tells us that His chosen people lost out on their inheritance—big time. God gave to them the land promised to their forefather Abraham hundreds of years earlier. Claim all the inheritance, God told them through Joshua, their leader, and He would drive out all their foes. But compromise their integrity with godless peoples, temper their obedience, and marry pagan women, and they would suffer indescribable hardships.
Israel’s inheritance from a gracious God went beyond value in time and money. God’s great inheritance carries with it great blessings that can bless untold multitudes of peoples. This is always God’s heart—to bless as many people as possible with the inheritance He gives us. Anything less than the best becomes a snare, a trap, a whip on our backs and thorns in our eyes.
But history shows that the Israelites forsook the blessing of God. They compromised with the world. They forsook the precious inheritance of God for what is passing and trivial.
They forgot God. The nature of God’s inheritance includes not only what He gives, but reflects the nature of God Himself. With God, inheritance is always relational, because God is relational.
Like the Israelites, God has also blessed us with every spiritual blessing. He has chosen us before He created the universe. He has adopted us as His children. He has redeemed and forgiven us. He has showered upon us the riches of His grace. He has given us an inheritance whose height, depth, width and breadth are without measure. He made this available to each of us at no cost to us but the highest cost for Himself.
May we not let God become a stranger to us!
“Delight yourself in the Lord,” writes David, the man after God’s own heart. Become enamored with the perfections of God. Let God’s perfections become the model for the way you live your life. Recognize in God the fulfillment of your deepest desires.
There is no love like God’s love, no joy like God’s joy, no peace like God’s peace, no patience like God’s patience, no kindness like God’s kindness, no goodness like God’s goodness, no faithfulness like God’s faithfulness, no gentleness like God’s gentleness, no self-control like God’s self-control.
God’s inheritance exceeds monetary value. What He is willing to give exceeds our ability to imagine. God is delighted when we take His challenge to stretch our imaginations to take in all of His grace and claim all our inheritance.
But there are still millions of people in India and elsewhere who still have no idea what we are even talking about. If only they knew—God’s inheritance awaits for them as well. Let us make sure that they do not miss out on what God intends for them!
From the Desk of Valson Abraham 