A Legacy of Truth

I was blessed to have a godly, praying mother. Not everyone can say that. Many come from broken homes of abuse or neglect or maybe just a general disregard for the things of God. My mother came to know Jesus in her twenties. I was born after she had walked with God for nearly twenty years. She had a love and passion for the truth of God’s Word that extended over all those years until she passed in her nineties. I had the privilege of hearing my mother call my name in prayer daily. I was also taken (dragged!) to church several times weekly and compelled to read the Bible out loud to her for devotion times.

During my growing up years, my dad did not attend church or live for God, although he came to know Jesus later in life and was baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Ghost in his seventies.

I did not always appreciate the gift of a strong, spiritual foundation of truth. But, when I married and became a mother and a grandmother, I could see the blessing of a legacy of truth.

In II Timothy 1:5 (NIV), Paul says to Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” Timothy benefitted from two godly women who were faithful and shared the knowledge of God with him throughout his youth. As he grew up and became a disciple of Christ, he could refer to that teaching and the foundation laid as he stepped into the plan of God for his life.

Paul further encouraged Timothy:

“But as for you, continue in the truths that you were taught and firmly believe. You know who your teachers were, and you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (II Timothy 3:14-15, GNT).

As I read this Scripture, my mind goes back to all the times I took for granted what my mother was teaching me. She was instilling wisdom through the Bible that would walk with me for the remainder of my life. It would live on through her children, to her grandchildren, and beyond. Through tears, I can now see her handprints of faithfulness in the faces of my grandchildren.

Because of the legacy of biblical truth given to me, I could pass it on to my children. I had the benefit of a godly husband who stood with me in teaching and training them to love and obey the timeless treasures in God’s Word. It’s not enough to take our children to church on Sundays and leave the most important instruction of their lives in the hands of others. We must be willing to do the work of discipling our children, our grandchildren, and others in our sphere of influence. It may not be a picture-perfect family devotional time, but a daily walk, speaking of Jesus in our daily lives as we work as a family, play together, and tuck the little ones in at night.

Deuteronomy 6:4-7 instructs:

“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one [the only God]!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being].  These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be [written] on your heart and mind.  You shall teach them diligently to your children [impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with His truths] and shall speak of them when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road and when you lie down and when you get up” (AMP).

The best thing we can give our children and grandchildren is the knowledge of who they are in Christ and the assurance that God will see them through like He has so many generations before. Share with them your testimony, your struggles, the miracles He has performed, and your daily walk with Jesus. They will draw strength from what you share for their trials and stand steadfast.

Nothing we leave as a heritage for our children and grandchildren could be more important than providing them with the keys to eternal life.

III John 1:4 sums it up perfectly, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (KJV).