You are on your deathbed.
Your loved ones gather around, speaking their last words to you. Then in comes your son, daughter, grandchild, or godchild. The one you’ve cherished since your eyes first met. You’ve baked them cookies, taught them to hit a ball, cheered at their recitals, and held back tears with every milestone. Now they wait for your parting words. You’ve said “I love you” a million times, but this is it. The last goodbye. What do you say?
King David faced that moment before he died. His son Solomon had listened to instructions about running a kingdom. He’d already been lectured about wild women, drinking too much, and the best investment tips. But this was it. The last goodbye. What did his father say?
“Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and willing mind” (1 Chron. 28:9) The most important legacy David could leave his son was the admonition to know God and serve Him. If Solomon followed only that piece of advice, he wouldn’t need the rest.
Knowing God leads us to wisdom, to good moral choices, to financial freedom. When knowing and serving God are our life’s goals, our children and grandchildren see it because it colors everything we do.
The greatest legacy we can leave the younger generation is the instruction to know God and serve Him with a whole heart.
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