A Godly heritage

I love this picture of two children playing "here is the church, here is the steeple: open the doors, here's all the people!"  Do you remember it?

We used to play it as children, but I have to wonder if children these days would even know what a steeple was. Or a church.

It is a precious and sacred thing to bring one's children to a saving faith in Christ. Although my ex-husband was not a believer, I brought our children up in the Christian faith. 

I took them to Sunday school and then church. They were christened as babies, but later on they expressed a desire to be baptised by immersion which we did.

Sadly, as they grew into teenagers, they refused to go and as I had no backup from their father, they slept in on Sundays.

But I kept praying for them and half of them are living for Jesus, with the other half backslidden. 

It grieves me that it is so, but we cannot live their lives for them. Our responsibility is to tell them of Jesus and lead them to a saving faith.  I have done this, and I must leave the results up to God. 

With the Rapture being imminent, I have talked about this to all my children and was pleased that the ones who are living a righteous life are prepared and looking forward to seeing the LORD. One actually thanked me for bringing him up as a Christian.

The two backslidden ones listened politely to my admonition to get right with the LORD as time is short. Being non committal, I told them that they had been warned and I would not discuss this again with them unless they wanted to know more about the faith. 

I spend a lot of time in prayer for my children and now grandchildren. I have to trust God with their hearts, as I can't dictate matters of faith.

It gives me much peace to know that God only expects me to bring my children up unto Him and doesn't hold me responsible for their life choices. I would only be guilty if I didn't bring them up in Christ.

Bringing them up in the faith wasn't easy with being married to a violent hot headed unbeliever who thwarted me at every turn and taught them to disobey and disrespect me.

But I persisted in teaching them of the faith, and it has brought much peace and comfort to those of them who love the LORD.  And it has given the others something to think about as they reflect on their backsliding ways...

As I said, passing on our faith is a precious and sacred thing to do- for there's nothing that can beat a Godly heritage. 

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezekiel 18:20