August 12, 2012

Legacy: August 9, 2012

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 9, 2012.

LEGACY

DEFINITION:

Something handed down or received from a predecessor; heritage; a gift of personal property or money.

SCRIPTURE:

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 24:15

I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. II Timothy 1:5

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Family is very important to us and we have a legacy to build on. A legacy is usually thought of as personal property that is willed to a descendent. However we feel there is a much more valuable legacy that one should leave to their children. The legacy we want to leave is a legacy of godly standards and values. We were left a great legacy to follow by our parents and we continually work on leaving a God-honoring legacy for our children, grandchildren and generations to come.

Our parents lived their lives based on biblical principles and as far back as we can remember taught us that knowing Jesus as our Savior was the most important decision we would make in life. This legacy we have passed on to our children and now to our grandchildren.

In Joshua 24:15 Joshua states his choice of the legacy he wanted to hand down to the Children of Israel. Joshua said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” In II Timothy 1:3, Paul reminds Timothy of the legacy of faith that he had received from his grandmother and mother.

The most important thing we can pass down to our children and grand-children is our faith. This is the confident conviction that we have knowing that God is who He says He is and will do all that He has promised. Today we want to share with you several examples on how we can hand down a rich legacy to the generations that follow us.

First, we must consistently teach the fundamental biblical principles that God has given us to our children and their children. Moses tells us explicitly what we must teach our children. We are to teach them that “the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. You shall teach them diligently to your children.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

We then must offer them a model character on how to live their life. Being obedient to the Lord and having a Christ centered lifestyle is vital to teaching children about the Lord. How we live communicates to our children what we really do believe about God. If we say one thing and do another, children are quick to see a double standard.

We need to show how we serve God by serving others. Actions show that our faith is real. The life of Jesus is a model of humility and servant hood. As those that love the Lord we should desire to be like Christ. If we do not want our children to develop a self-centered perspective of life then we must follow Christ’s example and have a servant attitude and show our children how to serve others.

We need to show our children that we pray for them and teach them to pray for others. Children do not forget if they hear someone pray for them. And finally we need to always communicate love to our children showing them how God loves us. Our love needs to be unconditional and not based on what a child does or does not do. Show your children love by what you say to them and how you act around them.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Psalm 119:11.

Your Word have I hid in my heart that I may not sin against You.

PRAYER:

Help us as parents to be diligent about leading and teaching our children in the ways of the Lord. Help us to be committed to leave a godly legacy, through the way we live our lives, to generations that follow.


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