Legacy

“I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ “Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24:13-15‬ ‭NKJV

“When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the LORD nor the work which He had done for Israel.”
‭‭Judges‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Legacy

I have many fond memories from my childhood that revolved around the Christian faith. My earliest were of my mother, worshiping and praying, while reading her bible. She was certainly a woman of God, and it was obvious to me that she delighted in Him. I also remember all the opportunities I had to go to revival meetings and late night gatherings. My family tree is full of people who were deep in the faith, who left legacies that have been made manifest in my life.

A strong legacy is built on the individual devotion of believers. The more devoted and abiding one is, the more likely one’s children are going to follow after them. Children look to adults for guidance in matters of the faith. If a parent makes it to church on Sunday, but has nothing to do with God the rest of the week, the offspring see this and use it as a measure of their own devotion.

I arrived at the end of Joshua this morning, finding one of my favorite passages in chapter 24. There God reminds the children of Israel of all the great things He had done for them, such as His giving them houses and cities they did not build, vineyards and food they did not have to grow. He also gave them warnings of what life would be like if they did not continue with Him. Joshua laid a choice before them, serve the gods the chose or serve the Lord.

The children of Israel affirmed with their mouths that they would serve the Lord, but upon the death of Joshua and his contempories, the children of Israel failed to follow and the next generation arose, devoid of the knowledge of what God had done.

“You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:7-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I am one who requires a daily dose of God’s word to survive, as I am filled with brokeness, and can easily slip into past bad behavior, also known as sin. I have built upon the legacy of my mother, but have my own faith, that God ordained for me.

I feed myself the word of God and maintain a constant conscious contact with One who saved my soul. I can not live off the principle built up by my mother, but must add more to the spiritual bank account.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I go to the word of God daily, as I seek to remain connected to the Father on my own accord, as He builds me up.

In my prayers for the saints, I am regularly given requests to pray for a wandering child who is leaving, or has left the faith. They grew up, discovered the tasty temptations of the world, and have been drawn away. Somewhere in their upbringing, they had not developed their own relationship with God. they were living off the faith of their parents.

If christianity were an ink pad, and our children little blocks of flesh and blood, we would note that those closest to the source would have a rich, deep, impression of the faith. As time goes on, each successive stamp loses a bit of richness, and is a little less dense. Each person who calls upon the name of the Lord must go to the source, and fill their block. Those that don’t have a faith that fades, and is eventually unseen.

To be healthy in Christ, is to delight in the things of God. I look forward to my time in the Scriptures, as I am excited at what new insight I might find, that I can share

Brothers and sisters, let us delight in the word of God, and be enthusiastic about our faith, for Jesus has saved us from hell.

Let us demonstrate that excitement for those that come after us. Enthusiasm is contagious, and it spreads to others. Likewise, if one is bored with the word of God, or not devoted to Jesus, that also is contagious, as children begin to see that faith in Christ is not worth bothering with.

The evil one is the god of this world, and he is filling the media, the whole atmosphere of the planet with distractions, that draw the young after himself. Our faith needs to be strong and very bit as attractive. If you kids see your desire for God, they might just desire Him too.

Jesus is worthy of our desire, for He did for us what we could not do for ourselves: He went to the cross and died for our sins. He made away for us to the Father. Praise the Lord before your little ones so that they know that they should follow. Establish that legacy that will be here long after you are gone.

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.””
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2:10-13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

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