Passing On a Godly Legacy
“One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, and shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness.”
Recently, I was on a Legacy Adventure Trip with my 17-year-old granddaughter, Lana for a little over two weeks. I find myself wanting to make every moment count; she graduates from high school next year and I find myself sad that the years have passed so quickly. I want her to remember the good times we’ve shared over the years. Most importantly, I want her to remember the times I’ve shared my faith journey, the goodness of God, His mighty works, and His abundant love and mercy towards us.
I’m reminded of the importance of being intentional in passing on a godly legacy when I read about the Israelites legacy failure.
There they were, on the precipice of beginning their lives in the promised land. The inheritance had been divided out and the people were happy. Life was good.
So when the book of Joshua closes out with Joshua’s invitation to choose whom they would serve, the Israelites shouted out unreservedly, “We will be His witnesses. We will serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24) And so they did, all the days of Joshua and the elders that survived him. They had known all the deeds of the Lord and rejoiced in what He had done for them. Life was good in the land of milk and honey.
Now turn the page and fast forward one generation in the story of the Israelites to Judges 2:7-10 and we see a legacy lost. Enter the Dark Ages in their history where they lost their sense of national unity under God. 350 years that can be summarized by disobedience, discipline, desperation, and deliverance; not once but 7 times!
How did this happen? Joshua and the elders and the generation that first entered the land knew the Lord. They knew all the amazing deeds He had performed on their behalf. But according to Judges 2:10“there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” How is it that the next generation didn’t get it? How was the legacy lost?
Joshua and the elders were so busy conquering the Canaanites and the people were so busy enjoying their new found freedom and possessions that they forgot one very important thing. They forgot to train up the next generation of leaders in the faith. To tell them of the works of the Lord, of their deliverance from the hands of bondage. They became more focused on themselves and protecting what they had rather than passing on their faith, therefore the next generation succumbed to apostasy, to the Canaanite’s idolatry.
As women of influence we must remember, we are only one generation away from apostasy. We need to be about training up our children, our grandchildren and those we have influence with to walk in the fear of the Lord now BEFORE they become the leaders of tomorrow. Before our legacy is lost.
Lord, May I be faithful to pass on my faith to the next generation. All 8 of my grandchildren are watching, Lord. Help me to be careful in what I say and do. I don’t want to be full of religious jargon, cute cliches and a plastic smile. Make me into a woman who is real, authentic, sincere and transparent. Lord, they can not hear unless I speak. Yes, they will learn from watching my life, but I must speak. Speak through me the Words that will point them to You. Help me to continue to train them up in righteousness. Lord, may my life and all that I say, do and write be honoring to You and You alone. I love You, Lord.
Marsha, this is a good reminder that our latter works are important, even vital.
I love how you invest in to the next two generations.
How wonderful that you had that precious time with your granddaughter. You are right, now is the time to be building the legacy that we will leave for our children. May the faithfulness of God be what my children see and desire.
How wonderful to have extended time with your lovely granddaughter, and thank you for the important reminder of how we spend our lives, and how our authentic love for Jesus will be our legacy.