ALREADY, BUT NOT YET

My former treasurer handed me a check, but advised, "You can't cash this until Tuesday." My name was right there on the "pay to the order of" line, so it was as good as mine--no question. But there was a catch: I had to wait. The check was already in my hands, but I couldn't receive its full benefits until the date written in the top right corner. It was in my possession, but not yet.

Many other things may be in our possession, but not in actuality. A package from Amazon may be your purchased property, but it is not officially yours until it arrives on your doorstep. A foster child you're in the process of adopting may be as good as yours, but they won't legally be yours until a judge grants you permanent custody. An engagement ring may signify that your fiancée is effectively your wife, but the union won't be legally binding until the wedding day. A house or vehicle may be in your name, but you might be paying them off until Jesus returns!

And the same is true for the believer's heavenly inheritance. As believers, we are Christ's bought-and-paid-for property right now, but we have yet to arrive at heaven's doorsteps (1 Cor. 6:20). Even now, we enjoy the rights and privileges of being His adopted children, but Jesus isn't finished preparing our heavenly home (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:23; John 14:1-3). As the church, we are His beloved and blood-bought bride, but the wonderful wedding day is still to come (Eph. 5:25-33; Rev. 19:6-8). While on earth, we are His possession, with His own name written upon us, but Jesus has not yet returned to take what is rightfully His (1 Peter 2:9; Rev. 3:12; John 14:3).

Heaven is already in our possession, but heaven isn't in possession of us. We have to wait until the date of our death to "cash in" on our heavenly inheritance. Paul said it best in Ephesians 1:13-14, "In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

Thus, as believers, we sing both, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine," and, "O, what a foretaste of glory divine!" Jesus is ours and we are His, according to Fanny Crosby's (1820-1915) timeless hymn, Blessed Assurance. However, our experience of Jesus on earth is merely a preview of glory--we still have a lot of waiting to do. On earth, we see God's blessings, hear His voice in Scripture, and our hearts are full of joy and peace, but simultaneously, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9, KJV).