Friday, June 19, 2015

God’s Spiritual Legacy Program

O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds. And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come. Psalms 71:17-18

A Legacy is something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past or something that someone has achieved that continues to exist after they stop working or die.  The legacy of a father is the understanding and tools of how to handle life.

Talk About It - Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. This teaching is to be a part of life.  Avoid only doing this at "special times."

Tell the Stories - Tell children about family members and role models who shaped your life.  Discuss historical figures who lived ethical lives.  Tell them about your family heritage and lineage. 
God was well aware of what psychologists are learning today.  Family stories are powerful instruments of passing on values, identity and faith.

Has God ever healed your body?  Has God ever delivered you from a habit, an addiction or a destructive lifestyle?  Has God pulled you out of the pit?  Has God ever met a financial need for you?  Tell the stories to your children! Stories are a powerful frame for understanding the world and the self.  Who we are is largely defined by the experiences we have had and how we understand those experiences.  Importantly, our personal stories are embedded in deep family histories. Our own stories are fashioned by frames provided by our families.

Families that share stories, stories about parents and grandparents, about triumphs and failures, provide powerful models for children. Parents tell these stories to teach their children life lessons. 
Wear It Well - Lead by Example - Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Our kids need to see that being a Christian is not something where we act, dress and behave one way at church and a completely different way at work or home.

Everything you say and do, and all that you allow to be said and done in your presence ... reinforces or undermines the credibility of your messages.   Josephson Institute of Ethics

A Wrong example would be the inability to handle anger or the idea that you control people for power.  Whatever you model, whatever your example is whether it is good or bad, they will pick it up.
Take it Home - Be Consistent - Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Pay attention to the content of what you and your children hear, read, watch and do. Ethics suggest how an individual should behave. They reveal what is right or appropriate, regardless of personal values.

It's not easy being a Christian in the world today but the one place where it should always be authentically lived out is at home. If you want capable, respectful children, try giving them a portion of your heart rather than a piece of your mind!

A man who is truly a father does fatherly things in a fatherly way:
           Loves without condition
           Protects as a warrior
           Guides with wisdom
           Encourages with enthusiasm
           Forgives with a whole heart
           Brings joy and gladness to life
           Provides without complaint
           Leads through relationship
           Nurtures without antagonizing
           Disciplines without destroying
           Empowers his children without arrogance
           Serves with humility
           Counsels without condemnation
           Comforts with strength and compassion

Legacy is not merely a reputation.  A man may leave a reputation, but what a child receives is his legacy.  Live your life with intention so that you leave a spiritual legacy for your children that will give them the tools they need for whatever comes their way in life. 


Scripture to Claim:
A righteous man who walks in his integrity-- How blessed are his sons after him. 
Proverbs 20:7

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