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Claiming the Will - Part 1 - Death of the Testator

by Jerry Ousley  
10/26/2012 / Christian Living

I have never had anyone pass on and leave something to me in a will. But my wife has twice. The first was when her mother passed on. At that time all eleven of her brothers and sisters were living (that made twelve including her). Her mother was not a wealthy woman and consequently what remained after settling the estate didn't amount to much divided twelve ways. Debbie used a large portion of her share to purchase a Blue Spruce tree which we planted in our yard in honor of her mother. It was about four feet tall when she originally planted it. Now it stands close to fifteen feet tall.

The second was her brother. He had worked very hard and had made some wise investments over the years and consequently he had a fairly large estate. He had no children of his own so his estate was divided eleven ways. It did amount to a fairly large sum even divided between so many. No one got rich from his inheritance but it was enough to make a difference in the lives of his brothers and sisters who remained.

My grandmother, whom I have mentioned often, passed away in the year 2000. She had lived to see ninety-seven years of life a very high quality of life too. Oh, she wasn't rich and what she left behind as far as material goods probably wasn't even worth mentioning. Her belongings were divided between five remaining children and consisted mostly of sentimental items. During her life she was a giver. She gave every cent she could to help orphans, missionaries, pastors and the poor.

But she left an inheritance to all who touched her life in the form of good, solid and honest Christian living. I know she was a great inspiration to me and I owe much of who I am today to her influence.

I've mentioned this before but one of my uncles, who had passed a year or two before my grandmother, was a very greedy man in my estimation. My own brothers and sister had been talking one day as we had gathered in Mom and Dad's home. It happened that this uncle and his wife, who lived in Florida, were in for a visit and were sitting in the kitchen as we talked in the living room. I made a statement about how so many fussed and argued over what a loved one who has passed on, leaves to those left behind. In particular we were talking about Mom and Dad. I said, "If it means arguing and fighting over what's left I will walk away from it all because I have too much respect for Mom and Dad to dishonor them by fighting over what they may leave behind." All grew quiet for a moment. Then my uncle came into the room and said, "Well I'll tell you this; if I've got one dime coming to me I'm going to get it fight or not!"

All who have come to Christ are included in a will. It is the will of God. We talk often about what God's will is for our lives. We are referring to what He may want us to do. But in reality it goes much deeper than that. His will includes several things for each and every one to share equally; but it also includes some special things just for each one of us individually. Have you ever thought about that? His will is not just what He wants us to do, but what He has given us both equally and individually.

However, a will cannot be executed unless the testator has passed on. We know that God is eternal and can never really die. But He did you know. The Bible tells us that Jesus was Emmanuel God in the flesh. Jesus Christ, very God in the flesh. He came to earth, lived and then died on a cruel cross. He died to execute the will of God in the lives of each and every person who comes to Him in salvation. Hebrews 9:15-17 talks about this very thing. Verse 15 says, "And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." This is one inheritance that I will agree with my uncle on. I want everything that God has for me, both what we all have in common, and what He has for me individually. Have you come to Jesus Christ? If not, then did you know that you are not included in the will? But it's not too late. Come to Him today and claim your portion of the will.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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