June 6, 2019
Proverbs 13:22
A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
    but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

New International Version (NIV)
               What inheritance will we leave to our grandchildren?  The Book of Proverbs mostly contains short pithy sayings which convey deeper spiritual truth.  As a poetic form they offer parallelism.  If  a proverb says something and says it again in other words, we call it synonymous parallelism.  If the writer gives a thought and then develops it further we call it synthetic parallelism.  If the writer contrasts two thoughts we call it antithetical parallelism.  This is what Solomon uses in our verse for today. 

                A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.  Solomon has told us about the good man before.  The righteous man takes good care of his animals (Proverbs  12:10).  We all know people who are simply so good that the writer of Hebrews says, “The world is not worthy of them.”  What if the greatest inheritance we can ever leave another person is not financial or material?   These days I think about the heritage of godliness that good parents and grandparents may leave to the succeeding generations.   Best of all we leave faith to our offspring.  We cannot control whether they receive that inheritance.  But we offer it anyway. 

                In his last will and testament,  American patriot Patrick Henry said that his primary gift to his progeny was faith.  After dividing his material possessions he wrote,  “This is all the Inheritance I can give to my dear family, The religion of Christ can give them one which will make them rich indeed.”  With faith in Christ and with nothing material, he said they would be wealthy.  Without faith and with great wealth they would be poor indeed.  Like Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, let us pass the baton of faith on to the generations that follow.
Pray with me:    
Father, thank you for the treasure we have found in Jesus Christ.  As we remember all of your good gifts, most of all we thank you for  the good gift of faith handed off to us by others who loved you.  Let us carefully nurture this good gift so that when the time comes for our own departure we will be ready to share life with others as you have given life to us.       
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 

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