ByI glanced through the book of Proverbs to look for what it means to be a good man, having seen that Jesus said in Mark 10:18 that there’s none good except God. And I saw that a good man, according to God’s standards by Solomon’s wisdom, is the one who leaves an inheritance to his children’s children (Proverbs 13:22).
However, after reading what Jesus told the rich young ruler, I was a little disturbed because if no man is good, how can humans do good things, such as leaving an inheritance to even grandchildren? Then I realised later on that the same God who’s good specialises in making people good people. How? By giving wisdom to His people to live as Christ is – in the doing of perpetual good works.
God is the giver of wisdom
The scripture says in Proverbs 2:6 NKJV (boldface mine) that,
“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding;”
You must be a visionary person to be a good man according to God’s standards through Solomon’s wisdom. And that puts you in the position of seeking high levels of divine wisdom to manage whatever comes into your hands. But God is the Source of it.
No inheritance is acquired without vision. For example, if I want to leave land for my grandchild in future before I pass on, I must dream about it, save money, purchase it at the right time and look after it till that child grows up to handle it himself for whatever he wants.
Here’s something I’ve discovered about vision. Your mind must be ahead of your body. In other words, you create how you want your future to be by how you think today.
Build Everything According to God’s Pattern
To be a great man in God’s eyes means to build upon what God shows you by revelation in the Spirit. And when you do that, your inheritance will be so voluminous that your grandchildren will come and enjoy it. But note that when I say “inheritance,” I’m not merely referring to physical possessions such as lands, cars and houses. No! I’m also referring to spiritual ones such as Christian books that carry divine knowledge, businesses, ministries and several other works that contain a cross-generational impact.
In Exodus 25:40 (NKJV), God told Moses that “… see to it that you make them according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” He showed the man of God how He wanted Him to build His temple. Today, God still does it by giving His people revelations about what they should do in life. Maybe you’ve received yours and are currently working on it. But if not, pray about it because building your inheritance depends on it.
Your mind must be ahead of your body. You create how you want your future to be by how you think today.
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Your children aren’t your insurance policy
I’m a Ghanaian and have seen how many fathers do whatever they can to provide for their children, thinking they’ll, in return, look after them when they grow up. That lifestyle isn’t bad. But according to what Solomon said in Proverbs 13:22, it’s a limited understanding of who a good man is.
If you raise children with the view that they’ll look after you in the future, you’re making your children your insurance policy. And according to the central scripture for this article (Proverbs 13:22), you’re not in the category of good men.
Go beyond providing for your nuclear family. You can start with it, but certainly don’t settle just for it. You have to pray to receive divine revelation on what to do in your walk with God that’ll bring trans-generational impact. I can tell you that it is not easy. But it’s worth it because of the reward the Father will give you and the influence it’ll have on numerous lives. Press on!
