Psalms
78:1-11 KJV Maschil of Asaph.
Give ear,
O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my
mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark
sayings of old: 3 Which we have heard and known, and our
fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from
their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and
his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. 5 For
he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he
commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their
children: 6 That the generation to come might know them,
even the children which should be born; who should
arise and declare them to their children: 7 That
they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his
commandments: 8 And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn
and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart
aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God. 9 The
children of Ephraim, being armed, and
(Maschil -
a psalm to give instruction)
QUESTION: WHAT LEGACY ARE WE LEAVING
TO OUR CHILDREN?
The Bible
says: A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children:
and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the
just. Proverbs 13:22 KJV
Legacy however means much more than just
money, land and other possessions
According
to Webster’sDictionary, legacy can be:
• Money or
property bequeathed to another by will.
•
Something handed down from an ancestor, a predecessor, or from the past:
(example, a legacy of religious
freedom).
• To
appoint by a last will, a gift, or property.
• A
business with which one is entrusted by another or commissioned.
A legacy
is what a person is remembered for. Many graduate from high school or college
believing they will impact
the world, but then real life sets in.
Two old friends bumped into one
another on the street one day.
One of them looked forlorn, almost
on the verge of tears. His friend asked, "What has the world done to
you, my old friend?"
The sad fellow said, "Let me
tell you. Three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand
dollars."
"That’s a lot of money."
"That’s a lot of money."
"And, two weeks ago, a cousin I
never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"Sounds like you’ve been blessed...."
"You don’t understand!" he
interrupted. "Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost
a quarter of a million."
Now the friend was really confused. "Then,
why do you look so sad?”
"This week... nothing!"
Today we look at the
legacy we are leaving our children who will be the men and women of tomorrow,
for good or evil.
In William Shakespeare’s
play Julius Caesar, Mark Antony says "The
evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their
bones"
My prayer today is that
the good will live on, displayed in our children, as we endeavor to give them
the right guidelines to live by, and more important, to glorify God by their
very lifestyle in thoughts, words and deeds.
Our children are being impacted by a
multitude of sights and sounds that weave a siren spell on their minds, luring
them away from all that's good and holy. We constantly need to remind
ourselves that we cannot afford to let up in words and MOST importantly DEEDS,
in our efforts to so influence them that
God's Word is full of instructions to erect
memorials for the future generations. When we look at some of them we see what
God wants our children and future generations to be reminded of:
We read in:
Exodus 13:11-16 KJV
And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites,
as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, 12
That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and
every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD'S. 13 And every firstling of an ass thou shalt
redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his
neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem. 14 And it shall be when thy son asketh
thee in time to come, saying, What is
this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the LORD brought us out
from Egypt, from the house of bondage: 15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would
hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt,
both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to
the LORD all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my
children I redeem. 16 And it shall be
for a token upon thine hand, and for frontlets between thine eyes: for by
strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.
OUR CHILDREN
NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE DELIVERING HAND OF YAHWEH!
We read again
in:
Deuteronomy
6:4-12 KJV Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5 And thou
shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this
day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy
children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest
up. 8
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be
as frontlets between thine eyes. 9
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. 10 And
it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which
he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee
great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And
houses full of all good things,
which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards
and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be
full; 12
Then beware lest thou
forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the
house of bondage.
OUR CHILDREN
NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE WORDS AND COMMANDS OF YAHWEH
We also read in:
Joshua 4:1-7 KJV And it came to pass, when all the people were
clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take
you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And
command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the
place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry
them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge
this night. 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he
had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: 5 And
Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the
midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder,
according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: 6 That
this may be a sign among you, that
when your children ask their fathers
in time to come, saying, What mean
ye by these stones? 7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of
Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed
over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a
memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.
OUR CHILDREN NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THE MIGHT AND POWER YAHWEH.
When we look in the Bible we see people who
left a lasting legacy to their children. Moses’ mother only had a short time
with Moses before delivering him up to Pharaoh’s daughter,r but she did her
utmost to instill into the child the best teaching so that it would remain with
him even to adulthood.
1. GOD
ACKNOWLEDGED ABRAHAM'S COMMITMENT TO PASS ON A LEGACY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
AND FAITH.
Genesis
18:17-19 KJV And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great
and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and
his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice
and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of
him.
God was
willing to reveal his plans to Abraham because he knew Abraham would leave a
righteous legacy of justice and judgment and keep the way of Yahweh!
2. TIMOTHY'S GRANDMOTHER PASSED
ON A LEGACY TO HER DAUGHTER AND HER GRANDSON!
Timothy's grandmother left a legacy
unfeigned faith which was passed on through his mother to himself. It brought
him to the attention of Paul who took up the mentoring of Timothy who inherited
a lasting faith from his mother and grandmother. No mention of any input from
his father who was Greek.
Acts 16:1-3 KJV Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and,
behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain
woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: 2 Which was well reported of by the brethren
that were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Him
would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of
the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a
Greek.
2 Timothy
1:3-5 KJV I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with
pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers
night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy
tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 When I call to remembrance
the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,
and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
3. ELI
FAILED WITH HIS SONS AND SO DID SAMUEL
In 1 Samuel we find Eli the priest
of God, a good man, had sons who God caused to be slain because of their
wickedness.
Samuel in turn became one of the
greatest prophets of God but also failed to bring up godly sons.
1 Samuel
2:12-17 KJV Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew
not the LORD. 13 And the priests' custom with the
people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's
servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth
in his hand; 14 And he struck it into the pan, or
kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took
for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came
thither. 15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's
servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the
priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16
And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat
presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then
he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now:
and if not, I will take it by force. 17 Wherefore the
sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the
offering of the LORD.
1
Samuel 2:22-25 KJV Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did
unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 And he said unto
them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this
people. 24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report
that I hear: ye make the LORD'S people to transgress. 25 If one
man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against
the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto
the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
1 Samuel
8:1-5 KJV And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons
judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel;
and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in
Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned
aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel
unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
This should not serve as an excuse for
us but a warning. Today we seek to justify and excuse ourselves by pointing to
the children of our leaders but we need to understand that God holds US, and
not our neighbors, responsible for OUR children!
WHAT LEGACY ARE YOU LEAVING TO YOUR CHILDREN?
In addition to teaching them righteousness
and faith which should be our unending duty what about :
THE WAY WE BEHAVE IN OUR HOMES.
Do we say one thing and do another.
Remember our children see and hear even when we think they do not. We may express
hypocritical concern about the evil influences outside our impacting them but
totally ignore the in your face blasting we give them by our own manner of living.
If we believe they are not aware then we are more of a moron than we seem!
Actions speak louder than words and
an example is still the best teacher. Do as I say and not as I do will simply
not work.
How about family quarrels?
Ephesians
4:25-32 KJV Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath: 27 Neither give place to the
devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no
more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to
him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of
edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put
away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians
5:22-25 KJV Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the
Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of
the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of
the body. 24 Therefore as the church is
subject unto Christ, so let the
wives be to their own husbands
in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your
wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
THE PRIORITY WE GIVE TO GOD
Do they see us making all excuses ad
giving all reason why we are unable to meet with God and the brethren in
fellowship? Do they see us placing our relationship with God way down in the
list as we pursue pleasure, treasure and fame in full measure? What new excuses
do we invent each day, each week each month, each year? Maybe we should let the
Word of God speak for itself!
Matthew 6:24-33 KJV
NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: FOR EITHER HE WILL HATE THE ONE, AND LOVE THE
OTHER; OR ELSE HE WILL HOLD TO THE ONE, AND DESPISE THE OTHER. YE CANNOT SERVE
GOD AND MAMMON. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take
ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they
toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast
into the oven, shall he not
much more clothe you, O ye of
little faith? 31 Therefore take no
thought, saying, what shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal
shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all
these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye
have need of all these things. 33 BUT
SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS; AND ALL THESE THINGS
SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BRETHREN
Yes! They will hear when you speak
ill about the brethren and family. They will form an opinion and behave
likewise or if being smart they see for themselves your lies and slander, they
will tell on you!
James 4:11-12
KJV Speak not evil one of another,
brethren. He that speaketh evil of his
brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law:
but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. 12
There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou
that judgest another?
WE CAN GO ON BUT THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR US TO
PONDER ON!
In a certain mountain
village in Europe several centuries ago, a nobleman wondered what legacy he
should leave to his townspeople. Finally, he decided to build a church for a
legacy. The complete plans for the church were kept secret. When the people
gathered, they marveled at the church’s beauty and completeness. Following many
comments of praise, an astute observer inquired, “But where are the lamps? How
will the church be lighted?”
Without answer, the
nobleman pointed to some brackets in the wall; he then gave to each family a
lamp to be carried to the worship service and hung on the wall. “Each time you
are here, the area where you are seated will be lighted,” the nobleman
explained. “Each time you are not here, that area will be dark. Whenever you
fail to come to church some part of God’s house will be dark.
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