Through The Bible in a Year - September 8, 2026

“Remembering you in my prayers… that you may know … what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints…” - Ephesians 1:18

We often think of heaven as our inheritance—the treasure God has stored up for us. And there is truth in that. But Paul prays here for something more surprising: that we would see and know “the riches of his [God’s] glorious inheritance in the saints.

His inheritance is us.

We are what God is bequeathing to Jesus. We are His treasured possession. God says over and over again that His people are His treasure in the Old Testament, then He repeats that truth in the New Testament with an undeniable proof. What is the proof that we are God’s treasured possession? We were purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, and all of history—all of creation from the very beginning—has been moving forward in a plan of redemption so that God’s people would be the glory of Christ’s kingdom.

You are precious to God. Not because of what you’ve done. Not because of your performance or your consistency or your faithfulness. Because you were purchased at an infinite price. Because God chose to love you. Because you are what He plans to give to His Son.

When our children were small, every night, my wife, Kathy, would put them to bed with the same words: “You are precious to me.”

That’s what God is saying to His people here. You are so precious to Me that you are the inheritance I will give to Jesus when He comes into His kingdom.

Every day, the inheritance that God will bequeath to Jesus in His eternal kingdom is growing. People precious to Him, purchased by His Son, are being prepared in ever greater numbers to be gathered into glory. Christ’s kingdom is growing because His inheritance is getting richer with every new person of faith.

Respond: Do you live like you’re precious to God? Do your days have the quality of someone who knows they are treasured?

Most of us don’t. We live with a low-grade sense of worthlessness, or we frantically try to earn value through achievement. Paul prays that our heart-eyes would open to see the truth: we are God’s glorious inheritance. We don’t earn that. We receive it, and one day Christ will receive us as His inheritance from the Father.

This week, when the voice of shame or unworthiness speaks—when you feel invisible, insignificant, or like a burden—counter it with this truth: “I am God’s glorious inheritance. I was purchased by the blood of Jesus. I am precious to Him.”

Prayer: Father, I struggle to believe I’m precious to You. Instinctively I think that I earn my value. When that makes me feel worthless—it’s hard simply to receive Your love. Open the eyes of my heart to see what Paul prays I’d see: that I am Your glorious inheritance, purchased by Christ’s blood, treasured by You. My worth to you is not determined by what I’ve done but by the price you paid for me through Your Son. Let that truth go from my head to my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.