Co-Heirs with Jesus
God invites us to His table as children and co-heirs with Jesus, secure in His love and glory.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling compiled by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Romans 8:15-17 reminds us of a truth too great to overlook: as believers, we did not receive a spirit of fear or slavery, but the Spirit of adoption. By that Spirit we cry out, “Abba, Father.” This is not a distant God we approach, but a loving Father who calls us His children. And if children, then heirs. More than that, we are co-heirs with Jesus, destined to share not only in His glory but also in His sufferings.
W. T. P. Wolston, the author of today’s reading, lifts our eyes to the ministry of the Spirit. The Spirit continually testifies that we are God’s children and brings us into the lived enjoyment of the Father’s love. He shows us the things of Jesus and confirms our identity as sons and daughters. And this identity changes everything. We are not just spectators, but participants with Jesus in the Father’s purposes.
Wolston presses this truth further. To be co-heirs means more than sharing an inheritance in the future. It means walking with Him now, side by side, in joy and in suffering, in rejection and in glory. Just as Jesus told Mary that He ascended to “My Father and your Father, to My God and your God,” we stand in that same relationship of intimacy. The Spirit bears witness that we belong fully to the Father and will be glorified with His Son.
The wonder of this truth is that nothing we face is meaningless. To be joined with Jesus as co-heirs is to share in all that is His. Even suffering is transformed, for it is fellowship with Him. And glory awaits, not as a distant dream, but as a certainty secured by the Spirit’s testimony in our hearts.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, you are no longer a slave to fear. I have placed My Spirit within you so that you may know Me as Father. Do not doubt your place in My household, for I have made you My own. The Spirit within you testifies that you are Mine, beloved and secure.
As My child, you are also My heir. And not only an heir, but a co-heir with Jesus. All that is His, I share with you. You walk with Him not only in joy but also in suffering, for in both you are joined with Him. Do not shrink back when trials come, for they are not signs of abandonment, but marks of fellowship.
Your future is glory, but even now you taste it. My Spirit within you brings the assurance of what is to come. Live each day confident that you are My child, My heir, and My beloved. You are never alone, for Jesus walks with you, and I dwell in you.
Scripture References: Romans 8:15-17, Galatians 4:6-7, John 14:18, John 20:17, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Philippians 3:10-11, 2 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Peter 4:13, Revelation 21:7.
Real-Life Analogy
Imagine being invited into a family meal where the table is full of abundance. At first you may feel like a guest, unsure if you belong. But then the father of the house pulls out a chair, looks you in the eye, and says, “This seat is yours. You are my child. What is mine is also yours.” The food before you no longer feels like someone else’s, but your rightful inheritance as part of the family.
In the same way, life with Jesus is not about standing at the edge as an outsider. The Spirit assures me daily that I am seated at the table as a child of God, sharing in all that belongs to Him. Today, when I face fear or doubt, I can rest and say, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me, for I am Your child and co-heir with Jesus.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that I am no longer a slave to fear, but a child of God. I rejoice that through Your Spirit I cry, “Abba, Father,” knowing that I am fully Yours. I praise You that I am a co-heir with Jesus, sharing in His sufferings and assured of sharing in His glory. I live today with confidence that all You have is mine in Him, and I rest in the certainty of Your love.