Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.” Many retired pensioners read that verse and feel the weight of what they cannot give: no property, no savings, no sum to divide. Yet the same Scripture that names the inheritance does not name its size. This article sets out how to leave a spiritual inheritance to your family: four things a preacher can place in the hands of those he loves, all of them within reach of a person with a small pension.
What Scripture Calls an Inheritance, and Why Money Is Not the Measure
The verse in Proverbs sits among sayings that describe a righteous man, not a wealthy one. Proverbs 20:7 says, “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” The blessing follows the man’s conduct before God. It does not follow his bank balance.
Psalm 112:2 speaks the same way: “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Paul writes to Timothy of “the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice” (2 Timothy 1:5). Nothing is said there of what Lois left in coin. What she left was a faith that her grandson still held.
A small estate therefore costs the family nothing that Scripture counts as inheritance. The loss would come from leaving no blessing, no testimony and no instruction, and each of these can be given while you are alive.
Begin by Naming What God Has Actually Given You to Leave
Before you give anything, list what you hold. Peter and John met a lame man at the temple gate, and Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee” (Acts 3:6). He gave from what he actually possessed, and what he possessed was enough for the man to rise.
Take a sheet of paper and write down what you can truthfully hand over. For a preacher who has depended on God for daily needs, the list usually includes:
- years of prayer for each person in the family, and the habit of praying by name;
- a knowledge of how God has supplied food, travel and clothing in your own days;
- a worn Bible, with the verses you have stood on;
- the plain words of the gospel as you have preached them;
- your own blessing, which a father or grandfather in Christ is entitled to speak.
Write only what is true of you and your household. The list is for your own use, so that you choose with clarity what to give and to whom.
Speak the Blessing Aloud, as Jacob Did, While You Can
Genesis 48 records that Jacob, old and nearly blind, called Joseph’s two sons to him and blessed them. Hebrews 11:21 counts this act as faith: “By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph.” He did not wait for a better hour. He spoke over each, named the God who had fed him all his life, and prayed that the boys would carry the same God forward.
You may do the same. Choose a quiet time, preferably with the person in the room and no hurry. Ask them to sit near you, lay a hand on their shoulder if they allow it, and speak a short blessing in your own words. A blessing needs only a few parts:
- Name the person and say what you thank God for in them.
- Name God as the one who has supplied you through your life.
- Ask that He keep them, provide for them and bring them to Christ’s own eternal life.
Numbers 6:24-26 gives a form already written: “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” You may begin with these words and add your own.
If the person lives far away, speak it by telephone, and send the same words in writing afterward so they can be read again.
Mark Your Bible so that Your Faith Can Be Followed Page by Page
A Bible handed down with nothing written in it is a good gift. A Bible handed down with the preacher’s marks in it shows the reader where he stood and what he held to. Moses told Israel to keep God’s words in the heart and to teach them diligently to their children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). A marked Bible puts that teaching into the child’s hand.
Choose the Bible you use most, or one you intend to give. Go through it slowly over some weeks and mark the passages that have carried you. Underline the verse, and write beside it a short line in the margin: the date if you know it, and the need you brought to God when the verse met you. A line such as “Read this when the fare for the journey was short; God supplied it the same week” is enough, provided it is true of your own experience.
Mark only what you can say honestly. A few well-chosen passages, such as Matthew 6:25-34 on daily bread, Philippians 4:19 and Psalm 37:25, will serve a young reader better than a page covered in ink. On the flyleaf, write the person’s name and a verse you pray they will keep.
Write One Letter of Testimony to Each Loved One
A blessing spoken may fade from memory, and a letter can be opened in later years. Write one for each child, grandchild or relative you have in mind, and make each one personal. The letter should tell what you have seen God do, and what you pray He will do in them.
If you have already begun recording God’s provision, the method in Write It Down While You Remember: A Preacher’s Plain Method will give you the material. Draw from those notes the instances that suit the reader, and leave out those that do not concern them.
A letter of testimony may follow this order:
- a greeting, with the person’s name and a word of affection;
- one or two accounts of God’s provision, told simply and without exaggeration;
- the verse that held you at that time;
- your prayer for this person’s life and faith;
- your signature and the date.
One page is sufficient. Write by hand if you are able, since handwriting is itself a kind of keepsake. If your hand is unsteady, dictate it to a trusted relative and sign it yourself.
Give a Plain Charge: What You Ask Them to Keep, Believe and Pass On
A charge is a command given with love. Paul gave one to Timothy: “The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). Joshua gave one to Israel: “choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
Your charge should be short enough to remember. Decide on what you ask each person to keep, to believe and to pass on, and say it plainly. For example, you may ask them to keep gathering with God’s people, to believe that the Lord supplies the needs of those who seek Him first, and to tell the next generation what they have heard from you.
Say it once aloud and write it in the letter. You may use the same charge for the whole family, or alter it for each person according to their circumstances. A young father needs a different word from a student, and a sick relative needs a different word from one who is in good health.
Then stop. A charge is a request made before God, and the person is free to receive or reject it. You are responsible for giving it faithfully, not for compelling them.
Entrust the Result to God, and Hold to the Crown Prepared for You
Having spoken, marked, written and charged, you may not see any change. Some will thank you and some will say little. Paul wrote, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Only God gives growth, and He may give it long after you are gone.
Pray over each person by name, and over each gift as you give it. Then leave the matter with Him. Psalm 37:25 records David’s witness: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” You may rest your family on that same promise.
Your own reward does not depend on how they respond. Paul wrote near the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). That crown is for all who have loved His appearing. If you have preached without pay and wonder whether it was in vain, read A Whole Life of Unpaid Preaching Ends in a Crown, Not in Loss. The labor is known to the Lord, and He keeps the record.
Your Next Step
Choose one loved one this week and set aside an hour. Write or speak the blessing you would want them to carry. Pray over it, give it, and entrust the rest to God.
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