If you found out tomorrow that you had received a sizable inheritance, what would you do with it? Pay off debt? Buy a new car? Take a vacation?
This month William, a prisoner serving a lengthy sentence in Virginia, did something astounding with an inheritance he received: He gave a substantial portion of it to Angel Tree, so that the children with an incarcerated parent can receive a Christmas gift and the Good News of Jesus Christ. A letter enclosed with his gift said simply that he “wanted to share.”
As believers in Jesus, we also have received an incredible legacy. In Ephesians 1:11-14, Paul writes, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Our inheritance as Christians is not meant to be hoarded, but joyfully shared with others through words and actions as we spread the message of the Gospel. It’s simply too good to keep to ourselves. Will you, like William, help us spread the Good News of Jesus Christ with prisoners, their families, and all those affected by the cycle of crime and incarceration? Learn more today by visiting www.prisonfellowship.org.
