Our Christian Heritage

          

                                                         

 Chuckle: "It's a good thing I found you Gideon. It seems someone has been hiding all your Bibles in motel rooms."

Ponder This: “The human soul is like a bird that is born in a cage. Nothing can deprive it of its natural longings, or obliterate the mysterious remembrance of its heritage.” --Epes Sargent

"Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance -- all who seek the Lord! Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from which you were cut" (Isaiah 51:1 NLT).

It seems the older I get the more interested I become in my family history. I'm thankful for Christian family members who have gone on the be with the Lord, and my living relatives have become even more precious to me. I often think about the Christian heritage they have given me and I reflect on their faithfulness in years past.

Living in the past can be dangerous to your emotional health if overdone; however, a healthy respect for those who made your life possible and more meaningful is good and proper. As believers, we do well to stop and think of all the faithful Christians who have gone before us and the great heritage they have left us. We should never overlook our history because it helps us to understand who we are and gives us a sense of purpose -- where God is leading us.

At the time of Isaiah's writings, God's people had forgotten what God had done for them, and they also had forgotten about their faithful spiritual ancestors such as Abraham, Moses, Isaac, and Jacob. They were living as spiritual paupers rather than heirs to a wonderful heritage as members of God's royal priesthood -- as God's people. The call in our passage suggests the vital need for all Christians to focus their hearts and minds on the underlying principles which characterize our faith.

Today, as a Christian, you enjoy an even richer heritage than did the people in Isaiah's day. We have the broad shoulders of great New Testament Christians, like Peter, John, and Paul, to stand on and to draw strength from. You also may have come from a Christian family whose faithfulness to Christ goes back many generations. If so, you are most fortunate. We should view our heritage as a special gift of God and be forever thankful.

The key questions for you and me are, "what kind of heritage am I leaving for my children and generations to come?" Will they look back with thanksgiving for the life you lived and the Christian instruction you provided them? These are sobering questions that we would be wise to deal with right now. Right now is a great time for life assessment by each of us as a parent or grandparent. If we Christians, even a faithful few, remain steadfast, just think what God can do through us to inspire and influence current and future generations.

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse