Tuesday, November 11, 2025
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
For Those Who Come Behind Us...
This past Sunday we had a guest speaker, Dr. Jonathan Williams, who spoke about leaving a legacy of faith. Leaving a legacy of faith is not just for parents and grandparents. Leaving a legacy of faith is for every believer, whether we have kids of our own or not. It is our responsibility as believers to make sure the generations that come behind us hear about the faithfulness and goodness of God. We are commanded to teach them, share the gospel, share our experiences, and share his truths. They can read about God in a book, but the word of mouth testimonies bring God to life for them.
Passing on our faith is not just for parents and grandparents, but as parents and grandparents it is our greatest honor and privilege to be able to share our stories of faith with our children and grandchildren. In our church there are many multigenerational families. Some of my fondest memories of my grandparents revolve around their faith and going to church. As a little girl I used to go to church with my Mamaw and Papaw, and then I would go to their house for lunch. My grandfather was a die-hard Cowboys fan. When he was older and had lost weight and size, he would wear his Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt under his suit to church. He was ready for an afternoon of football as soon as he got home – he just had to take off his coat and shirt. I loved everything about these Sundays - standing next to my grandparents and hearing them sing, listening to the sermons and spending the day with them – even asking questions about the sermon.
I went to church with my other grandparents also. But I have one special memory of my grandfather on my dad’s side of the family. He had a chair at home - his special chair where he often sat to smoke his pipe, which always smelled so good. I often climbed up in his lap and wanted to smell all the different flavors of pipe tobacco he had. One day I climbed up in his lap and told him that I wanted him to teach me every song in the hymnal. He began with At Calvary and then proceeded to teach me the next one, Down At The Cross. I can still hear his voice singing as he taught me these hymns. I love these memories of my grandparents, and although I may not remember every sermon I heard as a girl growing up, I remember the faith of my grandparents and how it influenced me.
For some of us, the generations that have gone before us left a legacy of faithfulness and service for us to follow. If you grew up in church, maybe you have memories of examples set by Sunday School teachers or other adults that were important in your life. Your parents might have set this example for you, or aunts and uncles and grandparents. Or if you were lucky, maybe all of the above. You may not have had a family that was involved in church. It doesn’t matter where the influence came from, what matters is how it affected your life.
Now I am a grandmother, and I realize what an honor and privilege it is to pass that inheritance of faith on to them. Their parents are amazing and leaving their own legacy of faith but I want them to know what God has meant to me and how faithful he has been in my life as well. I want to tell them stories and provide them with experiences that will be a pathway of faith for them.
We can share our faith in God by our lifestyle, our testimony, and encouragement. It doesn’t have to be only family. There are people coming behind us everywhere that long for some discipleship and love. Who has God placed in your life that you can share your stories of his faithfulness with? You never know how your love and kindness will influence them. Take every opportunity to impart the amazing story of our God’s love and grace every chance you get.
