The Greatest Legacy Of All
As I sat with the family planning the funeral for their 87 year old mother, her son tearfully shared that the last devotion he read in the devotional booklet his mother had given him stated that the greatest legacy a parent can leave their children is wisdom. This woman, and her husband who died 10 years earlier, definitely understood that; but in the most profound sense. They did not merely pass down helpful advice or practical know-how. They modeled and passed down to their kids and grandkids the wisdom that is God’s Word and how important God’s Word is.
This couple brought their children to church regularly to hear the Word of God, making a clear statement about the importance of God’s Word to everyone in the family. They left the established church they had been members of for years to help start a new church on the west side of Lansing. They made that sacrifice because they believed it was important to share the message of salvation in Jesus with the people on the west side of town.
They both served in the gospel ministry of this fledgling church. The husband combined his keen engineering mind with his faith in Jesus and love for Jesus to provide important leadership for Shepherd of the Hills. His wife served in equally important, but less visible ways. If you have used a tissue at church, chances are the box was purchased and placed there by this faithful Christian woman. She and her husband loved to hear about how the gospel was impacting the hearts and lives of those who heard it, not just at our church but through our campus ministry at Michigan State, which they supported with both prayers and offerings.
When I visited them and gave them the comfort of God’s love and salvation in devotions I read to them or in Holy Communion, they would both always thank me with genuine gratitude. Although the final 10 years of this woman’s life was filled with grief from her husband’s death and all the fear and anxiety that goes with having stage 4 cancer, she turned to God’s Word with daily regularity to find comfort and strength. The first thing she did was read her devotional materials and her Bible. When she talked to her children, she would frequently tell them that God knew exactly what she needed to hear that day and gave it to her in his Word. The message about her Savior’s love for her, the forgiveness of her sins, and his precious promises to her gave her what she needed for each day, right up to the day he took her to heaven, just as he promised he would.
You are building the legacy you will leave to your children right now. Be wise in what you leave them, for there is something far more valuable than money, property, skills, fun times, warm memories, or advice to leave with them. Leave them what makes the greatest difference in this life and eternity- the wisdom of the Word of God and the blessings of a life built on that Word.
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” (Psalm 71:18)