Spiritual Handoff

In Touch Daily Devotional
by Dr. Charles Stanley

2 Timothy 1:3-7
3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

People go to great lengths in order to ensure that property and wealth are bequeathed to favored family members or charities. Some people tragically spend so much time preparing for material possessions to be passed down after death that they overlook what their life could impart now.

The Christian’s most vital asset is faith. While belief involves personal choices, our children and friends can receive from us an inheritance of righteous principles and a model for godly living.

A faith worth passing down is based on biblical truth and the confident conviction that God is who He says and will do all He promises. That is to say, we ourselves must experience a growing personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to share it with others. We cannot hand down principles we have only read or heard about from someone else — it simply will not work.

A question we should ask ourselves is, Am I comfortable dying with the faith I have lived by? Many people pick and choose religious philosophies to guide their life but discover in their final hours the fallacy of a self-centered perspective. A faith worth passing down can face the end of life with the knowledge that we are eternally secure in the living God, whose Son died at Calvary for our sins.

A faith legacy is the greatest wealth we can bequeath to those who come after us. Unlike money, a good example cannot be squandered. We can begin now to touch future generations by passing our faith on to those around us.

Are you thankful for what has been handed to you? Are you being careful to hand it down to those who look up to you and respect you?