I was honored this past month to preach at Elkdale Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama. I was able to teach on the right definition, message and ministry of the church in the morning service and then to talk about generational faithfulness and the exercise of family worship in the evening. It was a good day and I was thankful to be able to share what God has made the passion of my heart.
Little did I now that my joy would be made complete days later when I received an email for a wonderful lady that I met while at Elkdale. She shared a story of spiritual legacy with me that gave me chills and confirmed in heart the absolute truth of the importance of generational faithfulness. Her name is Louise King and I asked her if I could share her story in my newsletter. She was very gracious and replied, “Sure, Reid...no problem..”
Mrs. Louise started by saying that Legacy was a, “huge word in my life.” She went on to tell me the story of her Legacy Bibles. It all started when her mother died and she began to be aware of the power of her mother’s spiritual legacy in her life. She says, “When my mom died, her Bible was left sitting there on her dressing table and the task began of deciding who would receive it.”
As is so often the case, we do not fully recognize the value of the spiritual legacy that we have been left until we are left without it. Mrs. Louise said, “I realized then what a treasure it was.”
As leaders and parents, we often undervalue the power of our own spiritual legacy. However, Scripture makes it clear that the family is the primary means by which God intends his truth to be passed from one generation to the next. That is why it is important for us as individuals and as churches to understand that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us, but our legacy will be determined by what we invest in those we leave behind.
Mrs. Louise became strikingly aware of this reality when she lost her mother and that awareness set her on a mission to pass on to all her descendants the treasure that had been left for her. She says, “At that point, I began working toward getting one of my Bibles in the hands of my children and grandchildren.”
What a grand investment, but most of us only have one Bible. I mean, I have dozens, but I really only have that one that has all of my margin notes and underlines. How could I get each child and grandchild a treasure of spiritual heritage like my “go-to-Bible?”
Mrs. Louise shares how she has gone about it. “To put it mildly, I mark my Bible. With my three daughters, I kept a Bible for three years, transferring notes from one to the other and then adding notes from sermons , studies, etc. for each one individually.”
I thought, “what a great idea . . . to pass down our spiritual legacy from one generation to the next, Legacy Bibles.” But Mrs. Louise did not stop there. What I read next brought tears to my eyes and overwhelmed me with the delight of the Lord. She continued, “I am now working through my seven grandchildren.” What a testimony!
Mrs. Louise will tell you it is no easy task, “I have had to shorten the time I keep the Bible. I am working on number three (for her grandchildren).” But she says the joy of the investment far outweighs the cost. “I can’t tell you what it is like jotting notes to them by Scripture. It is a joy in my life when I pass God’s Word on to my children.” Even something I said got passed down from generation to generation, even if she can not remember quite what it was, “Something you said Sunday morning . . . sorry can’t remember exactly what . . . But I wrote a note to Zec . . . ‘Zec, does your life reflect this verse?’”
Zec, I pray that it does and that you, like Timothy, walk in the faith of your mother and grandmother and great-grandmother.
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. 2 Timothy 1:5
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