What heritage will you leave for your children?The Scripture says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Prov. 13:22), so you should consider your descendants if you are seeking to be good.You could leave them a large inheritance of money and property, but this may not be possible for you.For certain, you should leave them a good name, for "a good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold” (Prov. 22:1).Indeed, "a righteous man who walks in his integrity – how blessed are his sons after him” (Prov. 20:7).Clearly, intangible blessings such as a good name, favor, righteousness, and integrity are a better heritage for your children than any amount of material possessions.
The very best heritage that can be passed on from generation to generation is given through the word of God.Priceless qualities like righteousness and integrity are learned by the study of God’s word and obtained by the Scriptures’ application.In this way, the Scriptures are truly profitable for the man of God, for they equip him for every good work (2Tim. 3:16-17).Most importantly, it is the "sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2Tim. 3:15).There is no better inheritance that you can give to your descendants.
Truly, God intended for His word to be an enduring inheritance that will enrich every generation.When God gave His Law to Israel, Moses told the people, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).God’s word to Israel was not restricted to one generation, but it was to be passed down to their descendants perpetually.Consider a similar message from God in Isaiah 59:21:
"As for Me, this is My covenant with them,” says the LORD: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, "from now and forever.”
Again, we see that God’s word is a blessing from generation to generation.This is still true today as indicated in Paul’s words to Timothy – "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2Tim. 2:2).
By passing on the heritage of God’s word to the next generations, we are giving them the power of life.God’s word has within it "everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pet. 1:3).It shows us how to live in this world as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105).When we speak the word of God, we speak the wonderful words of life, for "death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21).Consider Moses’ words to Israel when he gave them God’s word:
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him…” (Deut. 30:19-20)
The generations of our time are especially blessed because we have the complete revelation of God’s word.When Jesus was beginning to reveal the gospel, He spoke to His disciples of their privileged knowledge in Matthew 13:16-17, saying, "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”Now that the gospel of Christ is fully revealed, we are even more privileged as Peter indicated in 1Peter 1:10-12:
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels long to look.
Sadly, very few persons in our modern generations seem to understand how valuable the heritage of God’s word is.Never before has the word of God been so readily, freely, and abundantly available to the world as it is today.In generations past, many men died while attempting to get access to the Bible or to make it available to others.In the current generation, many men are dying without the Bible because they utterly neglect it even though it is free for the taking.May it not be so for you and your children.Take hold of the immeasurable blessings available through the Bible, and pass the rich heritage of God’s word on to your descendants.It is an inheritance that will never perish.
