In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 

When my mum’s Aunt died some years ago now, she left her a small amount of money in her will. My mum looked forward to buying a new sofa with the money, because she and my dad, while never living in poverty, didn’t have very much, comparatively speaking. Money was habitually tight. But on the cold January day mum travelled to the Scottish borders for her Auntie’s funeral, she was already unwell, and was soon to be diagnosed with terminal cancer. When she received that news, she said it put everything else into perspective. Material possessions meant nothing in comparison with having health.

But believers are the beneficiaries of a will that brings riches both in life and beyond death. It is because Christ died to bring it into effect – then rose from the dead, and now appears for us in God’s presence.

What it is to be ‘mentioned’ in this will! It is no small inheritance we come into. As an old song says, ‘I’m richer than a millionaire…’