Family Heirlooms
I like the idea of family heirlooms. Something tangible and meaningful that I can pass on to my kids that will give them a lasting connection and memory of previous generations of our family. I often think about what I could give them. My grandfather had a nice Swiss watch that I received after he died, but it isn't working and just sits in a drawer. I also received a Winchester rifle for deer hunting that my Grandfather used, but when I took it to the range, I realized the barrel was worn out. It did not shoot very accurately at all anymore. My mother gave me a wall clock that had been in my family for years. It was beautiful, and I remember its pleasant chime that announced every hour when I was a kid. After winding it up and hanging it on the wall, we realized that it wasn't working either. Its chiming days were over.
It seemed that the only things I had to hand down to my kids were not working, broken and useless. Then I thought about giving my kids one of my old bibles. As I looked through them I found that they were all well worn, marked up and falling a part.
I think these are all reminders that everything in this world becomes broken and useless. Everything of this world that we hand down to our kids will break, wear out or fall apart.
The most important thing we can hand down to the next generation is our faith. It is our faith in Jesus that will never spoil, rot or fade. It will never break, wear out or fall apart.
I don't mean just to hand down the outward expression of faith, like going to church and praying before meals. Those things are important as long as they point to Jesus, but if they become what's most important then they have lost their value entirely.
I realized that I have already been handing down to my kids what is most valuable, a example of walking with Jesus. Every time I pray with my kids, every time we read the Bible together, every time we love our neighbor, we are giving them something that will last for eternity through modeling a relationship with God.
An important part of our model to our kids should be giving and receiving forgiveness. Our kids know more than most people that we are not perfect. We don't model perfection; we model people who live by grace. We can teach them how to deal with our imperfections by asking for forgiveness and teaching them about the forgiveness of Christ every chance we get.
I ended up giving each of my kids one of my worn out, marked up, Bibles that are falling apart. I did that not so they can pass on those books to their kids, but so they can pass down the example of reading it, using and marking it up. The ability and desire to hear God's voice through is Word is what's most important to give to the generations to come.
A Guaranteed Reservation
I travel frequently, and there is no better feeling than knowing I have a confirmed reservation. My wife and I once had a late flight into Dallas and when we arrived at our hotel, at 2 a.m., they did not have our reservation. We were tired and there was no room at the inn. As a matter of fact, there were no rooms at any inns! Since our reservation for the next night was in Oklahoma City, I called the hotel, explained the situation, and asked them if I could get an extremely early check-in if I went ahead and drove up. They were kind enough to let us check in at 6:00 a.m. and there was no better feeling than knowing we had a reservation when we pulled up!
Christian’s have a guaranteed reservation in heaven! Isn’t that a great feeling?
"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
"By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:13).
A Precious Last Will and Testament
I was at the airport with my wife, flying cross-country to deliver a message on Psalm 145 and as we were seated and waiting I commented to my wife, "Well if this plane goes down with us together, our children are going to be very disappointed, I still haven't done anything on that will."
All common sense tells us we are much safer in the plane than we were on the Los Angeles Freeway on the way to the airport, but flying always seems to make one consider. During the flight I reviewed Psalm 145. When I came to verse 4, I realized that there was a far more precious inheritance then the one I was concerned about at take-off.
"Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power." This is the inheritance that we must be sure to impart to our children - I want them to inherit a thankful heart - to hear our praises and thank God for his mighty acts and proclaim His power.
It is normal for a parent to worry about their children and it is prudent for them to have a plan in place so their children will be taken care of in the event of their death. But money is not everything and it is not even the most important thing. We must be sure to share God's mighty acts - we must proclaim His mighty power - they must be aware of the miracle He has performed in our hearts.
This is the worthy inheritance and testament that we must leave for our children.