Message from Scripture: 6/5/2020

Today’s message from Scripture comes from 2 Tim. 1:5; “I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.” The importance of faith from one generation to another is emphasized here.

The way every human being is created by God is for the purpose of relationships; we need contact with others, personal interaction with others, for us to have whole and healthy lives. If we ever hope to have a chance of eternal life, it will come through the encouragement we receive from others. But what about ourselves? The path of personal interaction isn’t a one-way street, but one that travels to and from us.

How many figures of Scripture commend themselves to us as positive examples of godliness, people who lived by faith and whose lives encourage us to live by faith. Also, we should not be so caught up in ourselves that we forget there are others who look to us as examples, either good or bad. What kind of influence do our lives offer to those who are around us today, to those who will follow us someday? Solomon said in Prov. 17:6; “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.” We can draw strength from the faithfulness of others, and those coming up behind us should draw strength from our faithfulness as well.

There is a hymn that expresses these words. “Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful, May the fire of our devotion light their way, May the footprints that we leave, Lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey, O may all who come behind us find us faithful.” What do those growing up after us learn about faith, hope, and love in God and Christ? Do they find us faithful? It’s something to think about.

Robert