You've Got a Reservation

I appreciate restaurants that give you the option of making reservations. It keeps you from waiting for a long time to be seated. I've been to a couple of concerts and a couple of ball games where I had to have a ticket to get a seat. That ticket was a reservation for me. It didn't matter how packed everything was. It didn't matter how many people were thronging into the building. I had a ticket. Not only could I get into the venue, but I also had a specific seat. I could rest with confidence because my reservation was settled. 
 
Peter writes about the child of God’s inheritance being reserved and secure! He writes,

1 Peter 1:3–5 (NKJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 
5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

He says that you have an inheritance, that you are an heir of the kingdom of God. You are a child of the King. No one could be richer. Think about the wealthiest people in this world. If they do not have Christ, they are vagabonds compared to your wealth as a child of God.

Do you know what the word “reserved” means? In Greek, it conveys the idea that you are not reserving it yourself. God is reserving it FOR you. It is in the past tense, which means this reservation happened in the past. How could it have happened in the past if someone gave their life to Christ years after this verse was written? Because God stands outside of time. He saw when you would give your life to Him. He even saw that before you were born. God sees it all at a glance, and He says, “There was a time in the past when I gave you an inheritance, and I have reserved it since.” This phrase also conveys that it continues on until today and even into tomorrow. God is STILL reserving your inheritance.

What does that do for today? You say, "Look how difficult my life is right now." This does not minimize your current difficulties. We're not talking about mere positive thinking. We are describing the reason for our hope in Jesus Christ. Why can we be hopeful when the days are dark?

No matter how much persecution may exist in your life?
No matter the kind of animosity that you experience at school?
No matter the kind of tension that you experience at work?
No matter the challenge of living for Christ by yourself in front of your family?

You can “take heart” because you have an inheritance reserved in heaven for you, and that reservation will not go away. He says it's “undefiled,” “incorruptible,” and “will not fade away.” Isn’t that reassuring? Doesn’t that give the believer hope?

No matter what may be going on today, Jesus said in John 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled. If you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also." The reservation is for you, and God Himself has kept that reservation for you.

"Father, thank You for my inheritance in Christ. You have reserved it for me, and it is mine. Lord, may I be reminded of this when the unexpected happens. I praise You that You know the end from the beginning. Nothing surprises You. I trust You, today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”