recognize your true inheritance

 Just having the best morning working with our Christian Science Bible Lesson on substance and today noticing the references to true inheritance. There is the story of Daniel and his 3 friends as captives in Babylon. The King wanted all the brightest children to have special priviledges for a span of 3 years and then, if they proved worthy, to serve him. Part of that was to eat the meat reserved for the king and to drink some of his wine. Daniel felt those things were tainted and unclean as they were part of the sacrifices to their god. He asked that he and his friends be just served porridge and given water to drink. The eunuch fears they will look malnourished and he would be punished but agrees to a 10 day trial. They pass with flying colors. Daniel knew his rights as a child of the one true God and served Him faithfully. That protected him. Another story in the lesson is a parable Jesus told ,often called the prodigal son.  A father had 2 sons and the younger, a bit wild and disrespectful, asked for his inheritance immediately. Which was as if he wished his father was dead. Taking his share, he left town and went somewhere where no rules applied and he wasted what he had on riotous living. Once that ran out, his so-called friends abandoned him, would not even give him food, and he was reduced to working like a slave feeding swine. Hardly the inheritance he would have had back home.  Eventually he wakes up and realizes he can go back and humbly ask his dad for a job.  The father has never stopped loving him and watching for his return. When he sees him coming in the distance, he runs to him, embraces him and he is welcomed back. The father helps him understand he had never stopped being his beloved son. We have that kind of connection and one-ness with God. He made us, He sustains and cares for us with such loving kindness and unconditional forgiveness. No" I told you so" or"hope you learned your lesson". We can go to Him and know He is waiting with open arms and our true inheritance is intact.

my hymn today is #135. It begins, "I know no life divided, O  Lord of Life, from Thee; in Thee is life provided for all mankind and me.