Want your children and grandchildren to love God and follow Him? God wants that too. That’s why He calls each generation to pass our faith to the next. Although we cannot believe for our descendants, we can create an atmosphere in our homes where faith can flourish. We can live out and leave a spiritual legacy.
God’s Spiritual Legacy Design in Scripture
We see God’s design scattered all throughout Scripture. The most familiar passage is probably Deuteronomy 6:4-9. (For more on this passage see this post.) God tells His people to teach His Words diligently to our children. To talk about them when we sit at home, when we go out, when we rise, and when we lie down. His Word should be woven into the fabric of our family.
Timothy’s spiritual heritage is my favorite New Testament example. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he highlighted the younger man’s “sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice” (2 Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s mother and grandmother faithfully taught him God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:14-15) and modeled godly lives.
Faith Legacy in the Psalms
Even in the Psalms we find God’s design for His people to pass faith to the next generation. Not long ago, I “discovered” a prescription for spiritual legacy in Psalm 78:1-8:
My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
3 things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors— a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him.
“Do this… So that…”
I noticed a “do this… so that…” format in the psalm. If we as parents follow God’s design for passing down our faith, then our children will be impacted in these ways. Here’s what I found in the passage:
“Do this…”
- Teach our children God’s law
- Encourage our children to obey God
- Tell our children about the hope we have in the Lord
- Tell our children about God’s mighty works
“So that…”
- Our children will know God’s commands
- Our children will obey God’s commands
- Our children will have hope in God
- Our children will be steadfast and faithful to God
We don’t have to merely hope that our children will claim God as their own. We can take purposeful action to encourage them to find their eternal hope in Him.
Want to know more about spiritual legacy?
My new devotional book, “Heirloom: Living and Leaving a Legacy of Faith” releases October 19th! “Heirloom” tells stories of the past that reveal the seeds of our faith―seeds that sprouted and took root, growing through the centuries to touch our lives today. Heirloom weaves these stories of faith and family history with Scripture, beautiful artwork, and ancestry research tips and techniques. Find out more about “Heirloom.” Preorder now on Amazon.
I could use your help with Heirloom!
I have a brand new devotional book coming out in October filled with stories of faith and practical tips for living and leaving a spiritual legacy. But it truly takes a village to get the word out. I need people on my launch team to help. The team will only be active for 4 weeks and you will be given everything you need to share. It will be easy and won’t require a lot of time. PLUS, you will get some perks! Here are a few:
- Advance PDF of “Heirloom: Living and Leaving a Legacy of Faith“
- Scripture art card
- Guide to writing your faith story for your family
- Chances to win weekly Amazon gift cards
- Fun and community in the team
- My gratitude!
APPLY TO LAUNCH TEAM
Let’s Talk: What are some ways you’ve seen in Scripture that we can instill a spiritual heritage in our children?
God bless you.
Thank you Kathy for sharing your great-great Grandmothers spiritual legacy. It is encouraging me to never give up. I may not see immediate results when I pray for my adult children, and my grandchildren, but my trust is in God. They are in His hands.
Yes, amen!