“Ew!”

By a single corner, I lifted the bag of cheddar cheese. At least, that’s what the label proclaimed it had once been. Now, it appeared more like a rainbow rodent. Tucked away in the recesses of the refrigerator, the block had taken on green, white and blue mold tempered by a splash of the original orange.

Straight to the trash can. Time to switch dinner plans.

Even in the modern age of Ziploc bags, refrigeration and food vacuum sealers, spoilage happens. Freezer burn occurs. The bottom of the vegetable drawer develops a layer of slime. (A stray cucumber, perhaps?)

Gross but true. Cars rust, clothes mildew, paint fades. Sin has corrupted even the inanimate world in which we live. And those are just things. Never mind poverty, sickness, and death.

But God offers us a gift amidst the muck and wreckage in our fallen world. The one thing that won’t fall to pieces, that can’t be corrupted. An inheritance in Christ Jesus. The hope of eternity spent with Him and our Father!

1 Peter 1:3-4 tells us, “… In His great mercy He 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. This inheritance is kept in Heaven for you …”

An inheritance, something we did not earn, but were given upon the death of a loved one. Christ, who died, supplied this inheritance. But unlike cash, this inheritance will not burn or melt. Unlike a historic mansion, this inheritance cannot be whipped away by wind or flooded by the waves.

In a world where nothing lasts, God has provided something we can steady ourselves against. He redeemed us from an empty way of life (v.18) by the blood of Christ. The precious blood that survives all that comes against it. He provided for the salvation of our souls (v.9). Our gift awaits us — an eternity filled with love and fulfillment.

God has given us a future where nothing perishes. There is no moldy cheese in Heaven.

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