11-2-2016

Good Morning All,

2 Timothy 1:5; “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”

   Who did you hear it from?  Who was the first person you remember who taught you about Jesus?  Most would probably say a grandmother or grandfather or mom or dad or a favorite Sunday School teacher or maybe even an aunt or an uncle; most learned at an early age.  For some it was much later, your spouse or a friend or co-worker might fit the bill but we all have one thing in common; someone told us about Jesus.  It is one thing that makes faith so precious and valuable; your faith has been handed down from one generation to the next.  If you could do it; you could trace your faith back to the original 12 apostles and then to Jesus because that is how we get it.

    “Faith comes by hearing”, Paul tells us and if we hear someone talks and it is usually a family member or very close friend the first time.  This is the way it works; this is the way God designed it.  From the earliest times, God designed that faith would be handed down from one to another.  After the Exodus, God told the people of Israel to be ready when your children ask about the ceremony of the Passover and to tell the children what God did for them and how he saved them.  Early on the directive was to teach the children and teach them at an early age.  At Mount Sinai God directed them to “impress them upon your children’s heart”; that means to pass the faith onto the next generation.  Give it to them like the precious gift that it is.

    Our verse refers to Timothy as Paul was writing to him for the last time.  Paul commented on Timothy’s faith and how that faith had dwelled, and been passed down to him from his mother and grandmother.  The one who Paul viewed as his adopted son in Christ came to faith because of his mother and grandmother; just the same as many of us.

     This is how God designed the passing of faith; by the quiet and gentle teaching of one to another.  There are no earth-shattering events just a simple growing in the faith.  We all know that our children watch us like hawks. They observe our choices and decisions and compare them to what we say we believe. Children do as we do, not as we say. When we choose to live, following God’s precepts, we demonstrate authentic faith to our family. We prove our love for God, our ability to hear His voice, and our desire to cling to Him by choosing to follow His direction. One way that our family chose to do this was by praying for our neighbors. Often we would go door to door with our small group and ask our neighbors if we could pray with them. This action proved our belief system more to our children than a thousand Sunday school lessons. It was faith in action, in practice; faith made real. 

    So, live a faithful life; let your children see your faith in practice; prayer, Bible reading, worshipping together all make great and proper impressions.

Father, thank you for those loved ones in my life who passed the faith to me.  Give me the wisdom to pass my faith onto the next ones.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret