True Inheritance

Today's Reading:

John 4

Scripture:

"You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." John 4:12-14

Observation:

Fathers play an incredible role in the lives of their children and their children's children. God ordained the role of a dad to have an impact that literally reverberates throughout the generations to come. Jacob's obedience to God had left a lasting impact on his offspring in many ways. Be that as it may, no man has the capacity to offer an inheritance greater than the one offered by Christ.

Application:

In this passage I am reminded that there is nothing greater I can leave my kids than the legacy of a man who ran after the heart of God. Everything else I give to them or leave with them will perish.

Leaving a spiritual legacy begins by being a spiritual man. John 4:24 says this takes place through worshiping God in spirit and in truth. If I invest my time and energy in truly pursuing honest connection with God then God will manifest Himself in my life and transform me in to the man He desires for me to be and the man my kids deserve for me to be.

As God works in my life He does not do that just so that I can be a better person for myself and my family. He works in my life so that I may have an impact on the world He so desperately longs to see redeemed. John 4:35 teaches me that all once my heart is connected with God all I have to do is look around me and I will see plenty of opportunity to be a vessel of His blessing to others. The fields are full. I just have to engage the harvest.

Prayer:

Father, Jacob's well reminds me that there are some great and mighty things that I can accomplish and leave behind for my kids as an inheritance. For many years the desire to do this consumed me and fueled most of my drive in life. As time has passed I am coming to a place where I fully understand that the truth of Your word is the only true inheritance I can leave for my kids is to live my life in obedience to Your desires. Everything else fades. Nothing else has the power to save.

Jesus says that to do Your will was better to Him than even eating food. I ask that Your work become that alive to me and that I pass on that hunger to my kids and to those I lead. I pray that You help me to know and live what it means to worship You in spirit and in truth. As the events of my day unfold I pray that they reveal miracle encounters with and all-powerful God that leave me with no other logical conclusion other than You are real, You are alive, You are for me, and You have mission to accomplish with my life.