Deuteronomy 11:18-21
18“So
commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands
and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19Teach them to your
children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20Write
them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21so
that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may
flourish in the land the LORD swore to give your
ancestors.
This Sunday is Father’s
Day. I wish my dad was around so we
could spend time together. He died many
years ago, and he is still missed greatly.
There are days I still hear his voice – especially at certain
times. Those things he used to say will
always be impressed on my mind.
Dad had a great personality and laughed a lot. He reached out to everyone he met and shared
the love of God. Dad and Mom were very
hospitable and as I grew up, I wanted to model my own home like theirs. It was not unusual to come in the house and
find my parents praying for hurting people.
Healings in their living room were the norm.
I married Jerry, who became another great dad. He also exudes the presence of God, and has
raised our kids well. I must have been
drawn to Jerry because he has the same qualities as my dad. All of the things I said about my dad are
true of Jerry too.
We have always modeled our home after my parents. As our kids were growing up, we invited many
young adults and singles over. Some of
them had never been around Christian families and our kids needed to be influenced
by young men and women who loved God too.
Our kids are now
grown. They love God with all
their hearts as well. Two of our three sons are
married and carry on the tradition of reaching out to others together. One of our sons became a father this
year. I’m sure as the years go by, his
daughter will also carry the heritage forward. Hopefully one more daughter-in-law and more grandkids will come later - at God's appointed time, of course.
We are so blessed to have the spiritual legacy we have. I don’t take for granted the fact that I grew
up in a Christian home and so did our kids, as will our grandkids.
If you didn’t grow up in a Christian home, it's never too late to
begin. You can start a new legacy in your family. We
can touch generations by our lifestyle and prayers.
We started praying for our children’s mates and for our
grandkids when they were little boys.
I’m sure my parents did the same for us.
It’s never too early to begin praying.
Even though my dad is now gone, his prayers live on.
Let me encourage you to build godly traditions in your own
home. Kids model what they see. It is up to us to show them how to live the
Christian life.
