Joint-Heirs

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:17). We are joint-heirs with Christ. What does that mean? If two people were to jointly inherit a business together, then they would have an equal share in the responsibilities, costs and profits of that business. As joint-heirs with Christ, we share with Him our inheritance from our Heavenly Father. This inheritance is not solely reserved for after this life. If we are to truly be joint-heirs with Christ, then we must be willing to receive all that the Father will give us, both in this life and in the next. We like to think that such an inheritance only pleasant things - peace, prosperity, paradise. But not everything that Christ received of the Father was all sunshine and rainbows. He had a hard life. The hardest. He suffered the pains of all living creatures. If we are to be true joint-heirs, then we must be willing to take the bad with the good. “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:17). We do not suffer in this life to no purpose. Every pain we feel, our joint-heir Jesus Christ felt that pain also, just as He felt every joy that we feel. Not all aspects of an inheritance are easy or pleasant, but good or bad, we don’t have to receive it alone. We can inherit every blessing and every trial with our joint-heir Jesus Christ. He will help us to bear the sadness and the gladness, just as we will help Him to carry the burdens of sorrow and joy that He receives. We can and ought to be with the Savior in all things, to suffer together with Him and to be glorified together with Him, and to receive together with Him as joint-heirs all that the Father has.