“For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children; that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children, that they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.”
February 20, 2023
Children don’t make a rich man poor; they make a poor man rich. The rich man can’t take his money to Heaven, but I’m taking my kids to Heaven. I’m taking my grandkids too. We’re going to Heaven. This is our wealth. How is our faith to be carried on? From generation to generation.
When my first boy was born, I was a student in college. He wasn’t happenstance; he was planned. But thank God for the happenstance—they’re planned also. We wanted to begin our family, and we did, and God gave us a boy. We named him Steve, after Stephen in the Bible. When I looked at that little red face, I saw my wife, kissed her, and thanked her for going down into the valley of the shadow of death to bring life into the world. Then I dropped to my knees, and I wept. I said, “Oh God if I never amount to much, if I fail as a pastor, if I don’t know how to preach, if I am never heard of—oh God, make me a good daddy. Make me a man of God that my children can look up to.”
Think about three people you can invest in and pray for to continue the legacy of faith you have received.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”