Your Final Act of Stewardship: Building a Legacy That Outlasts Your Possessions
- peterbriscoe7
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
"Set your house in order, for you shall surely die..." — Isaiah 38:1
These words from Isaiah sound harsh to modern ears, don't they? We've grown uncomfortable with death, treating it as something to avoid discussing until absolutely necessary. Yet this divine directive to King Hezekiah wasn't meant to frighten—it was an invitation to wisdom.
The Legacy We're Not Preparing
Most of us, when we think about preparing for death, focus on the practical: updating our wills, organising financial accounts, perhaps choosing burial plots. These things matter, certainly. They're acts of love that spare our families unnecessary stress during grief.
But here's the uncomfortable truth: we're preparing our estates while neglecting our testimonies.
We're ensuring our children inherit our houses, but are we ensuring they inherit our hope in Christ? We're dividing assets, but are we transferring the witness of God's faithfulness in our lives?
Think about it this way: Your grandchildren may never remember the exact amount you left them in your will, but they could treasure a handwritten letter describing how God met you in your darkest hour for the rest of their lives.
What Your Children Really Need to Inherit
Jesus asked a piercing question: "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?" (Mark 8:36). We might expand that question for those thinking about legacy: What does it profit your children if they receive your assets but not your values? If they inherit financial security but not spiritual conviction?
Material wealth without spiritual grounding isn't a blessing—it can become a burden, even a curse. History is filled with stories of families torn apart by inheritances, of children who received everything except what mattered most: the faith that sustained their parents through life's storms.
A well-ordered life does not end in chaos. And a truly well-ordered legacy addresses both the administrative and the spiritual—the what and the why.
Learning from Those Who Got It Right
Throughout Scripture, we find powerful examples of people who understood legacy beyond possessions:
Jacob didn't gather his sons to distribute livestock and land. Instead, he spoke prophetic blessings over each child, reflected on God's faithfulness, and shaped not just a family but an entire nation through his final words.
Joseph gave burial instructions that weren't about funeral preferences—they were about faith in God's promises and the future He had prepared for His people.
David left behind more than a kingdom. He left a "wisdom book"—the Psalms—filled with honest prayers, hard-won lessons, and testimonies of God's steadfast love through triumph and failure alike.
Paul wrote letters to his spiritual children that became Scripture itself—transparent accounts of his struggles, his transformation, and the grace that carried him through it all.
These weren't perfect people. They were intentional people. They understood that you are already leaving a legacy,whether you realise it or not. The only question is whether that legacy will be accidental or intentional.
The Testament We Can Leave Today
In our digital age, we constantly record moments—but are we recording meaning? We have more tools than any generation in history to preserve our voices, our stories, our faith journeys. Yet how many of us are using them for what matters most?
Consider what you could create:
Blessing letters for each of your children or grandchildren, speaking specifically to who they are and who God is calling them to become
A spiritual memoir that honestly recounts your failures and God's faithfulness, your questions and His answers
Video testimonies that let future generations hear your voice speaking about what sustained you
A legacy binder containing not just legal documents, but prayers, favourite Scriptures, and the story of your faith journey
These aren't vanity projects. They're acts of stewardship—final gifts that can guide and encourage your loved ones long after you're gone.
"But Who Would Want to Hear From Me?"
Some people hesitate because they feel inadequate. "I'm not a biblical scholar," they think. "I've made too many mistakes. My faith has been inconsistent."
But legacy isn't about perfection—it's about authenticity. It's not about having all the answers—it's about pointing to the One who does.
The greatest gift you can leave isn't a solution, but a story—the story of how God met you in your weakness, carried you through storms, and remained faithful even when you weren't. That's the testimony your children and grandchildren need.
Your past failures don't disqualify you from leaving a spiritual legacy—they're often the most powerful parts of your testimony, revealing God's grace in vivid colour.
A Final Act of Love
Leaving behind clarity—both administrative and spiritual—is one of the most compassionate things you can do for your family. It prevents disputes, alleviates anxiety, and allows your loved ones to grieve without being burdened by confusion or conflict.
More importantly, a well-prepared legacy becomes a platform for witness. Your funeral service can proclaim the gospel. Your written instructions can point to eternal hope. Your carefully preserved testimony can lead someone to Christ years after you're gone.
When you set your house in order with eternal things in mind, you do more than organise your life—you shine light on the One who gave you life. You become a mirror, reflecting God's grace across generations.
Starting Today
You don't need to wait until you're elderly to begin this work. In fact, you shouldn't. I wish I had started much earlier! Death rarely arrives on our schedule, and legacy-building isn't something you can complete in a weekend.
Consider taking these first steps:
Pray about what God wants you to pass on to the next generation
Write a letter to each of your children or key people in your life, expressing your love and hopes for them
Record your testimony—the story of how you came to faith and how God has sustained you
Organize your essential documents and make sure someone knows where to find them
Reflect on what verses, songs, or spiritual practices have meant most to you—and preserve those somehow
The Testament You'll Leave
Here's the sobering reality: You will leave a legacy. Your loved ones will be shaped by what you leave behind—or fail to leave behind. The only question is whether you'll be intentional about it.
Material possessions will be spent, divided, or forgotten within a generation or two. But a testimony of God's faithfulness? Words of blessing spoken over your children? The story of your journey with Jesus, preserved and passed on?
Those can shape generations. Those can lead someone to Christ decades after you've died. Those reflect what matters eternally.
The most valuable thing you can leave behind has nothing to do with money. Your final and most powerful act of stewardship is not wealth transfer—it's witness transfer.
So set your house in order.
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