Isabella came into the family room where her parents were watching the news. Together they listened to the report of a man trying to collect a large inheritance. "If that man's parents died, why can't he get the money that was left?" asked Isabella.

"He ran away from home when he was 16," Dad explained. "That was 30 years ago, and he never contacted his family again. Apparently his parents did discover what area of the country he had gone to, and they made repeated efforts throughout the years to contact him, but he wouldn't respond."

"But now that he's back, won't he het at least some of the money?" asked Isabella.

Dad shook his head. "It doesn't sound like it. I guess his parents gave up and decided not to leave him anything. They didn't put him in their wills. Now, after they've both died, he's finally shown up. He thinks he should have the inheritance, but now's it too late. He contested the will, but the courts upheld it. They said he was not entitled to any of the money."

"Wow!" exclaimed Isabella. "According to that news report, he claims that he always intended to come back sometime. I bet he's sorry now that he didn't come back sooner."

"He's learned a hard lesson- and a very common one," Dad said. "Do you realise that something similar happens everyday?"

"You mean there are lots of people who leave home and ignore their parents and aren't left any money?" asked Isabella.

"That happens often enough," Dad said, "but what I really meant is that God calls people to himself and many ignore him. They're too busy doing their own things. When the end of life comes, they're going to want a piece of the inheritance God had offered, but he's going to say, 'Sorry, I don't know you. Your name is not in the 'will'- the Book of Life.' "

Will you be able to claim the great inheritance God offers to all who trust in Jesus?