Genesis 15:1-6 (NIV)
After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Who will be your heir? What will you leave them? People want to know that their life has meaning. When you sit alone in a quiet time, you want to know that you made a difference in the world. You want to be remembered. Are you making memories with the people you know and love? Do you leave strangers with a smile on their face? Are you making a difference?
At this point in his life Abram had heard the call of God and the Promise of God. The Promise was that God would make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great and make him a blessing (Genesis 12:1-4). He promised Abram a child and an heir for Abram was childless. It was 24 years before that promise was fulfilled. Abram heard God’s promise but saw no evidence of it coming to fruition. And yet, he believed God and who credited it to him as righteousness. Pastor Steve Janssen said “God is never late; we may just be too early! How good are you at waiting?
Jean and I have no biological children. When we first got married, we decided we would wait a few years before having children allowing us time to grow together first. A few years became five years and then ten years and then thirty-four years before Clayton arrived. The requests for grandchildren were relentless. And our heir, Clayton, was OPK (Other People’s Kids). God’s plan for us was to love children who needed parents. God had a plan and it was a good plan. It was just not what Jean or I would have imagined. We have had six Foster children, adopted one so far and we are working on the next adoption of Brandon. I don’t think our descendants will be as numerous as the stars but I want each to shine their light brightly into the dark areas of this world. I want to pass on hope, love, grace, mercy and compassion.
Zig Ziglar said “people need love most usually when they deserve it the least.” We had one of those days yesterday. Someone was acting very poorly and deserved discipline. The reason for the behavior is not fully known but the result was a meltdown. I remained mostly calm but did lose my temper a little. That is not the legacy I wanted to leave. I want to love it into people. I want to love them when they are most unlovable! I want to love them even when they claim to hate me. My friend Jamie once told me you are not doing your best as a parent until your kids tell you they hate you. Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) says6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. God tells you how you should live and act in His book. That is what you should pass on to the next generation. Show the fruits of the Spirit and teach them to the next generation. Pass it on!
Lord, help us to live a life that brings glory to You and blessing to others. Help us to teach, inspire and encourage. In Jesus name we pray!