Inheritance

As I approach the end of this life I am considering what I will leave to my children and grandchildren. Before we left for Nepal over 20 years ago, we gave away most of our possessions. We didn’t want to hold onto anything that would cause us to look back. We have had to acquire some things to make life work for us since we have been back in the States, but nothing that I would consider particularly valuable or sacred.

So I am not sure that we have anything that our descendants really want. In fact, I have always advised people our age to divest of possessions. I have seen too many families fall into chaos after a loved one dies. I think that it is an act of love to liquidate possessions, so that families do not have to deal with them along with their grief.

But there has to be something that it is important for us to pass onto our families. I think that the most important thing we can give our families is a living legacy. That is a life well lived that gives them a foundation for living their own lives. This foundation can become the spirit by which they live.

Galatians 4:6-7 says, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” God has left us this type of legacy in the life of His Son, Jesus Christ. But the legacy is not just external in the story of his life, but is made internal by giving His Spirit to live within us, thereby empowering us to live the life that He desires for us.

So consider leaving an inheritance that is a life well led, a legacy for others to follow. Also please consider receiving the inheritance that God has for you, by receiving salvation in Jesus Christ.