Have a Godly Impact on Your Family
Recently I attended a Grandparents
Day at the Christian school where one of my young grandsons is a student.
During part of the program, the grandparents were reminded of the influential
role they can play in the lives of their grandchildren. The staff commended
those who had impacted their families for Christ by their teaching and example.
It reminded me of the many times I have heard people point to the great influence
a godly grandmother or grandfather had on their lives, specifically in their
eventually putting their faith in the Lord.
Paul pointed out such a heritage in
relation to his young co-worker, Timothy. “When I call to remembrance the
genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and
your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (II Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s
faith fell in line with that of his grandmother and mother before him. However,
let’s not get the mistaken idea that such faith is inherited or is somehow
automatically attributed to us due to our parent’s or grandparent’s
relationship with the Lord. While we can be grateful if we were blessed to be
raised in a family with a Christian heritage, such a circumstance doesn’t mean
that we are necessarily believers ourselves. Those family members can have a
huge effect on us, but we still have to come to the point of repentance and
trust in Jesus in our own hearts and minds. We cannot enter into God’s kingdom
riding on the wings of someone else’s faith. We have to personally respond to the
love of Jesus that took Him to the cross as the sacrifice for our sins.
So even though our faith can’t
guarantee that our offspring will follow in our footsteps, we can still exert a
significant influence on them that might help lead them in that direction. After
God gave his commands to the Israelites concerning how they were to live their
lives, He declared, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your
heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and
when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be
as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your
houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). This passage reminds us that we
have a God-given responsibility to teach God’s Word and His will to our
children and grandchildren. However, it needs to be more than simply going
through religious exercises with them. Our faith should show in the way it
affects our own lives. Our family should be able to see in us a living example
of love, faith, trust, purity, faithfulness, truthfulness, and other Christlike
characteristics. They should see how our relationship with Jesus plays out in
our everyday lives and in how we relate to other people. It is more than teaching
them Bible verses, although it can include such practices. It is living out
those truths in front of them.
Of course, praying for our children
and grandchildren is also a large part of our influence. This is something that
may go unseen by others, but God knows and hears those prayers. He can do
things in the hearts, minds, and lives of our offspring that we can’t do. He
can be with them when we are many miles away. The prayers of a parent or
grandparent may be the greatest influence we can exert.
Let’s not miss this wonderful
opportunity God has given us. Through our words, example, and prayers, let’s seek
to have a godly impact on our families.
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