Borrowing An Inheritance
Ezekiel 46:18
“Moreover the prince shall not take of the people’s inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.”
An inheritance is something that is passed along from one generation to the next. It could be money, possessions or a legacy. Just because a person may not have much money doesn’t mean they won’t have something to pass along to their children. It could be something that they’ve owned for several years that they would like their children to have. In any case, receiving an inheritance is something that most people desire.
In the verse above, God warned the prince not to steal from someone else to pass along an inheritance. God wanted the prince to give of his own possessions. He didn’t want him to steal from others just to have a possession to pass down. God knew the heart of men and how someone with power will be tempted to take from another to give an inheritance to their children. Each prince was to give of what they earned to the next generation.
Christian, what inheritance will you have to pass along to your children? Sadly, there are many people who have to borrow from another to give an inheritance to their children. No, I am not talking about borrowing money from another, but I am talking about borrowing someone else’s lifestyle. In other words, can you tell your children to live their life like you have, or do you have to tell them to live their life like someone else? Your children should have a parent whom they would like to emulate. They should not have to be embarrassed that their parents left them no legacy or lifestyle to copy. It is your responsibility to make sure you can tell your children to carry on what you have done for Christ.
Moreover, every church should leave an inheritance for the next generation. Sadly, many young people have no inheritance from their church. Your church should be doing something that your children would want to talk about when they become adults. Your church should not have to tell children to look at another church for an example of what church should be, but they should be able to look at your church to have something to pattern after when they get older. Pastor, are you doing something for your church that the children will be able to positively talk about when they become adults? Ministry worker, are you contributing to a positive inheritance so the children have something to talk about when they become adults. Every child should be able to look at their church and be proud to talk about it when they grow up.
It is every generation’s responsibility to pass along an inheritance. Are you borrowing from another to have an inheritance to give to your children, or have you done something for Christ that you can pass along to your children? You should live your life in such a manner that your children have a rich heritage of Christianity to pass on to their children. Live your life in such a manner that your children would want to be like none other than you. Whether it is an individual, church or nation, each generation should leave a good inheritance for the next generation to live up to.