“By God’s Great Mercy We Have New Birth Into A Living Hope!”(I Pt.1:3-9).
Mungaka speakers call a successor “ndzù ndab.” A literal translation is “eater of the house”, well understood as inheritor of house. The pidgin English translation of successor is “chop chair.” Eater of chair – inheritor of chair.
The understanding is that succession is about inheritance. Inheritance is complex. Inheritance is about shouldering the responsibilities that were shouldered by the predecessor. It entails inheriting not only assets, but liabilities as well. No doubt that one may be called, “ndzù ndab” yet without inheriting any “ndab.”
Notwithstanding whether the successor inherits wealth or debts, all earthly inheritances are temporary, transient and subject to decay. But the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ “in his great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed.”
Yes, unlike earthly inheritances, our heavenly inheritance is priceless and unfading. Inheritance comes with challenges, since we may suffer grief in all kinds of trials, but this only come to help prove how genuine our faith in Christ is.
Jesus Christ is the guarantor of our inheritance. We have not seen him, but we love him, and even though we do not see him, we believe in him. This is faith!
Our take home message:
- We have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- We have an imperishable, spoiless or unfading inheritance.
- Let us rejoice, give praise, glory and honor to God; and let us be filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy for the living hope that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ has brought us.
- When we face trials, we should consider that trials help to prove the genuineness of our faith.
- We do not have to see Jesus Christ before loving him, neither do we have to see him before believing in him.
Let us constantly, joyfully give glorious praise to God for our new birth into a living hope.
Sunday prayer: Heavenly Father we praise and glorify you that in your mercy we have been reborn into a living hope through the risen Lord. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!