If you would inherit the position to which you have been called in the Kingdom of God you must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He conforms you to the moral image of your older Brother, the Lord Jesus. You must be recognized as a son of the King, just as was true of Gideon's brothers.

Every moment of your time, every calorie of your energy, must be devoted to looking to Jesus and serving Him. You have no other calling than that of saint.

You must labor with Christ until you overcome the sin that presses on you. The winners will return with Jesus and inherit the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth. The Bible does not comment too much about the Lord's servants who are losers except they lose their talent, are cast into outer darkness, have the door shut in their face, are driven from the Presence of Christ, are beaten with lashes, and are cut in pieces and given a portion with the unbelievers.

If your goal were to inherit Heaven there would be little you would be required to do in the way of preparation. But If you are to inherit the earth you must undergo total transformation. God is not saving what you are but saving you from what you are. He does not want any more snakes in the garden.

So we see that our objective makes a difference in terms of our conduct. We go to Heaven by grace, we remain unchanged, and we praise God for ten thousand years for receiving us into Paradise while we still are morally corrupt.

Or we inherit the earth, are transformed morally, filled with all the fullness of God, and given nations of people to love and to teach the righteous ways of the Lord. Perhaps the kind of land of promise you desire to inherit tells something about the type of person you are. Do you think so? What do you really want?

Do you want to be with the Heaven crowd and sit around all day talking small talk, admiring your mansion and rejoicing over your diamonds? Or do you want to be with those who follow Jesus into the conflict of the ages, tearing down and destroying the works of evil until they are totally driven from the earth? Then will nature break forth into singing and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

While you are sitting in Heaven you might wish you had prepared yourself to be down here enjoying the fun.

You know something? When Christ is formed in us we are given a supernatural love for His and our inheritance, which is the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth. We now are not at all willing to turn over all the nations and the beauty of our earth to the fallen cherub. Rather we are ready to fight alongside Jesus to reclaim what is rightfully his and ours.

Think what it will mean to the meek of the earth to be governed by godly, loving people who truly care for them with the love of Christ, rather than by Satan, his angels, and the demons whose tender mercies are cruel beyond our comprehension.

I'll tell you what. I will trade my mansion and diamonds for your people. Is it a deal? (from For What Are You Preparing Yourself?)