It was Mark Twain who said, “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years!”
Well, once again, it’s Father’s Day. And since being a father is such a commitment, I thought that we should open the scriptures on this topic. Roseanne Barr joked once, ‘I don’t want a guy who shows he has guts by skiing and hang gliding. Give me a man brave enough for 3 kids and a 30 year mortgage.’
And there is not much training for the position. Another pastor who is a friend of mine met me in the parking lot last week after the
last session. 
He has a son in his 20’s who
borrowed his car Friday, parked it too close to a bus stop and managed to get it towed. I tried to think what I would do after all of these years of parenting and realized that I would feel the
same impotent irritation that I felt 20 years ago when something went wrong.
So if you are a father or hoping to act in a role like that, then we will look at a passage today that gives some guidance. And I think that everyone will receive some encouragement as well
“A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
What exactly does that mean? Is Solomon encouraging all fathers to purchase life insurance, or write out a will when he states, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children”?
The words are not so much to be read as a challenge to action: Good men should be sure to leave an inheritance to their children and grandchildren. Rather, they are to be heard as a statement of truth. This is what a good man does. Because of the fact that he is a good man, he leaves a marvelous inheritance to his children and his grandchildren.
*Stated another way, when a good man dies, part of what his offspring inherit is the blessing of being related to an upright and godly man. It’s like Isaac in scripture being able to say, “My dad was Abraham.” And with that simple statement came immediate respect because of his father’s sterling reputation.
*Beyond that, such children and grandchildren (sometimes even great-grandchildren) have the overwhelming privilege of for some time having been close to a man who proved, through his living, the rich benefits of walking God’s paths. “Don’t credit me,” Isaac might have said, “being Abraham’s son I should know a thing or two about the ways of God, shouldn’t I?”
So this verse underscores the truth that a good man, just by virtue of who he is, leaves an outstanding legacy to both his children and grandchildren. *The Amplified Bible renders the thought as follows: A good man leaves an inheritance of moral stability and goodness to his children’s children.
The reverse of this is also presented in scripture. For example in Exodus 34, God says he will by “no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” Though God later retracts this statement, one could still say the opposite of what is in the Proverbs is certainly true, that bad men leave an unsuitable inheritance of moral instability to climb over for their children’s children.
Put it this way, what kind of legacy is bequeathed those who have had an example of years of profanity, or dishonesty, bitterness, lewdness, or uncontrolled temper, shiftlessness, greed, heavy drinking, even violence? Yet that’s what many children and grandchildren have in essence been willed by more than a few fathers.
I could pursue such negative thoughts further, but let me presume that all you fathers listening to me have an intense desire to be a good man, and that you love your children very dearly, as well as your delightful grandchildren.
*The question then is, what constitutes a fitting inheritance for them? And granted, I’m not qualified to handle this topic from every vantage point. However, I do believe myself competent to share with you regarding estate planning from a spiritual perspective.
The first time I traveled overseas I wrote out my will on the plane. In retrospect, that seems a little foolish. I guess I was thinking that if the plane went down, somehow my will would be recovered and sent back. Its really not best to assume that. And of course, I had very little material possessions to leave. And so I left various articles such as good pen with missing cap, high school diploma and other articles of value that would probably help my children find fame and fortune. But I’m thinking that a father could leave another inheritance. What if you simply wrote out your spiritual estate?
If today or tomorrow you were to sit down for an hour to begin writing what you would like to leave your progeny by way of spiritual matters, what would you include? Would you begin…
1. I leave my descendants the settled conclusion that your father was not here as a result of mere time and chance. Instead, he was the handiwork of an infinite God’s creative genius. Therefore, I was a being of considerable dignity.
We live now in a nation that does not respect human beings as having sacred worth. We have gone to war casually. This week the number of Iraqis dying actually increased. We need fathers in America who teach their children that the Creator who knows the feathers on a bird watches each of us protectively with great affection.
2. Though for a period of time I lived in disobedience, still my maker loved me so greatly that the very God of the universe forgave me and restored me. That “rebirth” was undoubtedly the most significant event in my entire life.
Most of us did not come from perfect homes. Maybe you did not get a good spiritual inheritance. So your parenting is going to be imperfect. But what you can leave is the example and inheritance that we can always go back to God and find more love.
3. I leave the conviction, formed and proven over time, that the basic lifestyle intended for me by God can best be summarized as loving the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength AND loving your neighbor as yourself. Again and again your father has returned to these words spoken by Jesus. Though I have not modeled this love perfectly, I have sought diligently to remain on this path, and would advise you to do so as well. For, like the Apostle Paul, I have become convinced that:
If I (as a preacher) speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Last week at the Annual Conference, we passed some painful resolutions about the war and impeachment. And some of them are unlikely to influence public policy much. So a delegate rose and asked why do it since it provokes debate and may not have a national effect. A retired pastor rose who is a friend of mine. He said, ‘When my children look back on this time, I want them to know that I did what I could.’
What would you list as number three if you were to write out a detailed list under the caption, *“To my children and grandchildren I leave the following spiritual legacy…” ?
4. For my children and grandchildren I leave a record of active Christian stewardship. I have come to see myself as a servant of God, whose main job is to please my master in the use of all the resources God has given me.
The people in my life who have made the most difference were people who gave.
*In a simple sentence here's what I've been saying. Good fathers leave a fitting inheritance to their children and grandchildren.
That’s why I’m suggesting you take time this afternoon or in the next couple of days to start writing out your response to that statement in the bulletin. *“To my children and grandchildren I leave the following spiritual legacy …”What I’m giving you is the chance to sit down and on paper write out what’s really important in terms of this unique roll you fill of being a father.
None of us knows how long we have to live on this earth. My belief is that when you’re gone, this simple exercise may prove to be one of the most important ones you ever completed. In that light, an investment of a couple of hours this week really isn’t all that great a price for you to pay. It’s one less ball game to watch on television maybe. One weekend when you choose not to spend all that much time reading the Sunday paper. A few hours away from the work bench, or the briefcase to concentrate more on something spiritual. “To my children and grandchildren (Do you have them pictured in your mind?) to them I leave the following spiritual legacy … “
You’ll probably discover something important to you that doesn’t yet characterize who you are. Then you will need to start to change. Hey, that’s what life is like. None of us is perfect yet! All of us can make adjustments, especially when on our own we quietly come to the conclusion that such an alteration would be fitting.
What do you do when you finish your paper? First I’d say to read it aloud to the Lord , “To my children and grandchildren I leave the following spiritual legacy … “ In the days ahead use a copy of your words as a reminder when you pray. “Here’s the person I want to be Lord …”
Then you might want to share your words with someone close like your wife. If your mate is gone, send a copy to me, your pastor. I’d love to read your thoughts.
You can always duplicate copies and send them to various family members.
Also, be sure to put the original in with your important papers. Maybe place it right there where you have your will stored.
Good men leave a fitting inheritance to their children’s children. This nation needs such fathers. In fact, the cause of Christ in this land, does as well. Maybe even more important to you sir, your children and grandchildren do. And what could be more satisfying than to know that you provided generously for them in this the most important of all areas. Happy Father’s Day.
