We had a wonderful celebration of my parents almost 80’s birthdays. It was a great turn-out all four children were there, plus most of the grandchildren, their adopted adult child, and some great grandchildren. Psalm 145:4 describes our gathering:
One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. It’s times like this that we recognize the work of God through families.
God’s first command to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. The fruitfulness of our lives can be measured in how fully one generation passes down the wonder of God to the next generation in families. Sadly, many families have failed to multiply spiritual fruitfulness from one generation to the next. God created this world to be filled with people through families who passed on how to connect to God.
I will always remember my dad’s parenting advice when I first became a mom: Do the best you can and pray about the rest. My parents’ said that their greatest birthday gift was celebrating with the generations of their family that started with 6 and will expand to 38 by July of 2016. We represent four generations of family that have learned to honor God in our lives and are passing it down from one generation to another.
Every generation has new reasons to praise God, but no generation should forget the ways God has worked in the past. This is where families come in! Every generation passes down spiritual heritage. That just happens from generation to generation. You will either pass down what you have come to know about God personally and from your family history or a spiritual void.
I’m grateful for the generations of my family who love the Lord. It is good for my children to know how much their grandparents pray for them. If it’s been a while since the generations in your family have praised the Lord, your generation is the one to start with.
I can personally testify to the fact that having family who pass down praise for God’s mighty works in their lives build a foundation for faith that we all need in this world.
