Inheritance
Have you checked your attitude today?: http://talk.thelife.com/2006/06/27/inheritance/
The party was great! Mom didn’t look the 80 years that the number on the cake proclaimed! It was a good day. Friends and family honored Mom for the woman of faith she is and for her influence in all of our lives. It made me think about my inheritance. Oh, I don’t mean money in the bank…that can be here today and gone tomorrow. It made me think about the things we leave behind us in the lives of other people.
Let me share four principles of life that we pinpointed as we reminisced what Mom gave us. These are things I can pass on to others in my life. These are things you can pass on too. Each one of us is building an inheritance for those who come behind us. It is a good thing to be reminded of. Consider making these things a part of the heritage you are passing on even today.
* Take a risk. Climb out on a limb where the fruit is. Most everything is a risk. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing!
* Check your attitude. Forget what is behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. There is no way to be shielded from some of the negative experiences during our life time. The secret is how we respond to them!
* Remember to live one day at a time. It is when we add the burden of regret of yesterday and fear of tomorrow that we miss today. Live in this moment!
* Put your hope in God. It is because He lives that we can face tomorrow! Faith in God is the foundation of a solid life.
Consider the inheritance you are passing on, even today, to those in your life. These things Mom put into my life began years ago. You are making an impact today. You are an influence today. You are passing on an inheritance long before your hair is gray.
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done??? (Psalm 78:4).
~Father God,
Thank you for the inheritance I have received from You and from Godly people you have placed in my life. Help me to remember I am also impacting lives as my life touches and influences those around me. Show me if there are new ways You want to use my influence and life experiences . Keep me mindful that I do not need to be “old??? to pass on Your love. Show me where there is a child in my circle that needs my prayers or a kids clubs or youth group that needs my help.
I ask for Your guidance in the name of Jesus, Amen.
About the Author
This devotional was written by Gail Rodgers. Learn more about Gail: http://www.talk.thelife.com/authors/gail-rodgers/
Questions
What am telling the next generation about God by my life and attitude?
Share one gem from your past that is part of your inheritance from God.
Thank God that even if your earthly inheritance was not what you wished it had been, that you can now pass on the inheritance of the riches of His grace in your life.
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Related Article
God’s Orchard:
http://www.christianwomentoday.com/growth/spiritualfruit.html
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Judy, your letter is so encouraging. I am so glad that you wrote to tell us a little bit of your story. Our God is all powerful and He does answer prayer. I’m so happy that you see that now it is your job to carry the torch to the next generation.
Again I quote that verse that Gail mentioned. “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done??? (Psalm 78:4). You are doing that. May God richly bless you.
This particular devotional touched my heart in such an emotional way … I lost my mother to cancer last Christmas .. my grandmother (her mother) the fall before … 2 incredibly strong women … courageous is the word that comes to mind. We went from being a four-generation group of women to 2 ( my daughter and I) .. and in losing them, it altered our family structure. And I found myself pondering what the impact of their lives had been on mine. My mother came from generations of women who had alcoholic spouses, including my father. My mom’s determination to break this cycle for the next generation brought her to Al-Anon and she became a Christian, was baptized in water and spent the remainder of her life – not preaching to us – but LIVING her life as an example and that is how I came to know Jesus … to be baptized. She knew that ‘beating us over the head with her Bible” was not going to bring us to God … following her lead did .. and we need to be so cognizant of how we impact others. And now, it is my turn … that torch has been passed and I feel it is a true blessing. My husband was also an alcoholic .. now 4 years, 11 months sober. The cycle is broken and our family structure includes Jesus!
What am I telling the next generation about God’s by my life and attude?
Im telling is that most of us need to be happy of who we are created , If my attitude around people, I have to show a postive feeling about who I am today and why it is important for a role .. I am reading a book that really shows me that Holy spirit lives inside me.. If I am grumpy that means something bothering me all the time .. etc .. someways..
What am telling the next generation about God by my life and attitude?
I am telling the next generation about God by my life that there is NO LIFE without Christ in your Life. Life is nothing without Him. HE is the only one that I can’t live, eat, sleep, think or be without in my life. It’s in our best interest to get to know HIM intimately.