How to Bless your Future Generations

We all want to leave a lasting legacy to our children, grandchildren and beyond.

Money is quickly gone, houses get sold, businesses eventually fold,

but the legacy of what it looks like to live your life in step with God,

prayers that cover them in every situation, and

words of encouragement and wisdom from God's Word

will stay with them forever.

That kind of example - walking on obedience to His word,

loving God and loving the people He created - all the people,

will bring blessings untold to your descendants.

What greater legacy could you leave them?

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It works - it really works!

"Start children off on the way

they should go,  

and even when they are old 

they will not turn from it." 

Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

Ever since my grandsons were little boys, I made sure that I talked to them about having a relationship with God, about thinking of others and about being a blessing to those around them.

When I picked them up from school, I didn't ask questions like, how was your day.  I asked questions like, "Who did you bless today?"  "Who did you encourage today?"  "How did God help you today?"

Their answers were always so cute. "I shared my red crayon with Fernando." or "I held the door open for a girl."  Of course, as they got older, the answers changed and sometimes I just got, "I don't know." from them. (mostly through the preteen years)  Sometimes I even got the old eye roll, which let me know I was being really uncool.

Today, I picked up the 16 year old. He got in the car and as we pulled away from the school, he said, "So, Grandma, how did God use you today?"

My grandma heart nearly burst with joy and pride. Of course, I acted all cool, like he asks those kind of questions every day.  That question led to a great conversation between us. Talk about a blessing from God!

Grandparents - you are a vital part of building into the lives of your grandchildren. Parents can't do it all on their own. It takes a family to raise a child, and that includes extended family.  Start when they are young, build a great relationship with them, support their parents, encourage them to respect and honor others (most especially their parents). Pray for them continually and speak into their spiritual lives. Pick moments when they are most open. Give them age-appropriate suggestions about how to implement God's word into their lives.

One day, God will give you that special moment when you know that you were getting through to them.  What a day that will be!  Let the rejoicing begin!


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Passing it On to the Next Generation

 "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations" Psalm 100:5

I recently had a conversation with my brother about the legacies we leave behind when we die. We talked about our father and how everyone we talked to at his funeral had a special memory of Dad teaching them something. Dad wasn't a wealthy man, so he didn't leave an inheritance for anyone, but he left a part of himself with everyone he met.

My husband teaching our oldest grandson how to tie fishing flies.

We can do that. You don't have to be rich to enrich another person's life. Sharing yourself with them, your time, your knowledge, your love, your prayers - these all build into their lives and will be a lasting tribute to you after you're gone. And if you're building godly virtues into their lives, you can be sure that they will be passing them on to the next generation.

God promises in Psalms (103:17) that from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children.

 

Spend a little time today building your legacy into the lives of others. Something they will remember for years after you're gone. Point them toward the Lord, Jesus, for He is faithful through all generations!

What skills do you have that you can pass on? How do you share or walk out your faith so that the next generation will know God's faithfulness?

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(Copyright© 2013 Jan Christiansen. All rights reserved.)