The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the legacy of fools.
Proverbs 3:35 (New King James)
Have any of you ever watched a movie that showed a large family squeezing into a teeny-tiny attorney’s office? Every member of the family anxiously awaited the reading of the Last Will and Testament. Breathless with anticipation, they all sat on the edge of their seats—their imaginations running wild.
You saw greed in their eyes as they rehearsed in their minds what they were going to say once they verified that their father had left them his entire estate. At that moment, they forgot all about their father’s final three years of suffering, as his diseased body slowly shriveled away. Now they were interested in only one thing….what did he leave them, what did they inherit?
The Will was read and pandemonium broke out.
Charlie, the oldest son of the deceased, thought that he deserved the largest inheritance so he began yelling at Susie, the youngest daughter of the deceased. Sandra, the widow and mother of both Charlie and Susie, began sobbing. And then Shawn, the oldest grandchild, began cursing. In the middle of all the commotion, the attorney kept saying, “Let’s calm down.”
These scenes are comical and they make us laugh; however, at the same time, they are sad. They illustrate the sinful greed that flows throughout our society.
Although the movie might have been fictional, I am sad to tell you that those types of reactions do happen. As a retired accountant, I have witnessed families being were torn apart because of worldly greed. Someone always thinks that he or she deserves more. That is because this world worships money.
All we think about is money, money, and more money, which in turn, leads to greed, greed, and more greed. “How can I accumulate more? I can never have enough! I’ve got to leave a large inheritance.”
Be warned! You can keep accumulating things and keep building barns to hold all of your possessions; but if you do, eventually you will become a servant to your money and to your possessions (Luke 12:15-21).
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24, NLT).
When people leave legacies of sin, those legacies begin to take root, and as a weed chokes out a flower, a sinful legacy chokes out life. Let’s confirm this through the Bible.
First we have Adam. Through his sin, Adam left a legacy of death (Romans 5:14). That’s not a very good legacy if you ask me!
Next, let’s look at King Saul. He, too, left a legacy of death to his son, Jonathan (1 Samuel 28:19, 31:2). Then do you remember King David’s legacy to his child that he fathered with Bathsheba? That legacy was also death (2 Samuel 12:18). David’s son Amnon…death (2 Samuel 13:28). David’s son Absalom…death (2 Samuel 18:14). Death…death…death, sin leaves a legacy of death.
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, KJV).
Change your priorities. Do not strive to accumulate massive wealth to leave as a legacy. Instead, leave another type of legacy—one that will not rot, rust, or disappear. Leave your children a legacy of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
I am not sure if you recognized those qualities that were listed above, but those qualities are the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have your family remember this about you, “Dear old dad, he didn’t accumulate a lot of money, but he sure did love the Lord.” That is a legacy of great worth.
God is a perfect Father who gives us a legacy of great worth. He gives us love.
Through His Son (Jesus), God gives us an eternal legacy of life. Then His Son, Jesus the Messiah, bequeaths to us another legacy of life—salvation and the Holy Spirit. Praise God for these precious legacies!
Accept your inheritance of life through God’s Holy Spirit. Allow Him to mold and remake you into God’s image. When you do that, then you can pass on a legacy of life to your children. You can teach them through your words and actions what it means to live and walk by the Spirit of God.
Wouldn’t you love to leave a godly legacy to your family?
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 25:11 (KJV)
Three Key Concepts:
1. A legacy of sin brings death.
2 God, through His Son, gives us a legacy of life.
3. With help from God’s Spirit, you can leave a godly legacy.
