Daily Devotional

Though this verse is talking about finances, I think there is a greater inheritance that God’s people can leave behind than just a financial one. We can leave behind an inheritance of a life lived in pursuit of Jesus Christ.

I was recently given a box that contained all the earthly items left from my great grandfather. The box is full of an assortment of items gathered over a lifetime; letters, report cards, graduation announcements, newspaper clippings, an address book, and one small Bible. 14 inches by 8 inches by 3 inches; those are the measurements of a box containing the remnants of an entire life.
My great grandfather’s last name was Davis and he was the last one to carry that family name. He and my great grandmother had two twin girls and when those girls got married, the Davis last name ceased. Not wanting it to completely disappear my grandparents gave it to my father as a middle name. My parents then gave me the same middle name, and my wife and I then gave it to our son.

Since I am ceremonially carrying on the Davis name, so with it came my great grandfather’s possessions. I never met my great grandfather and though I’ve looked through every item in this box, I still don’t feel like I really know him. It’s hard to get a feel for someone with just 336 cubic inches of information.

Though I don’t know much about my great grandfather, I see the ripple effects of his life. I saw the life of my grandmother, whom he helped raise. I see the life of my own father who knew his grandfather well. The thing that speaks loudest for my great grandfather’s life are the lives that he impacted. Those lives are then affecting other lives, and so on the ripple effects go. Those ripple effects will last through generations yet to come.

We don’t have much say over how much we’ll be remembered, or what people will remember about us. What we do have a say over is our relationships today. We can pour into people right now and make someone’s day better. We can stick around through life’s ups and downs and make someone’s life better. We can make an effort to make a difference. We can pour our time and energy into our children and spiritual children and leave an inheritance that does not tarnish.

Good or bad, we impact others with how we live. The ripple effects of our lives will last for years to come. Through the help of Him who is greater, we can leave a positive mark not just for today, but for years to come.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.