“O my people, hear my
teaching; listen to the words of my mouth….We will not hide them from their
children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord;
his power and the wonders he has done…so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”
Psalm 78:1, 4, 6
(NIV)
John Atkinson, my
granddad, passed away September 7, 1979. I remember exactly where I was
standing when I got the phone call and the instant sadness that filled my
heart. He was a man of integrity and honor, laughter and love and a huge part
of my life.
I remember
hugging him and loving the scent of moth balls and Old Spice as he wrapped his
arms around me and my siblings and asked “Well, fellers, how are you doing?” His
home was never without a candy bowl in the living room full of white mints with
a soft green jelly in the center.
Grandmother would
only let us have one mint but Granddad always sneaked more to us when she wasn’t
looking. He became my hero and I became his biggest fan for life when he
defended my refusal to try oyster soup. I gagged at the thought of eating it
and he gagged at me gagging.
But one of the
things I remember most was his love of the Bible. One particular conversation
has stayed with me all these years. We were talking about reading the
Scriptures and I mentioned that it was hard for me to get interested in them.
“Too many thee’s and thou’s,” I told him. “Is reading the Bible really that
important?”
He reached over
and picked up his well-worn leather Bible on the table by his chair. “I’ve read
it completely through three times so far,” he quietly commented “and I find
something new and fresh every time. Our hope for tomorrow is in this book,
Nancy. Never forget that.”
“Never forget
that.” I didn’t . . . all because my granddad took the time to share story
after story from the Word and then explain how it related to me. Jonah and the
whale taught me about obedience. David and Goliath gave me courage. An empty
tomb gave a little girl a big hope in her Savior.
What happens
when we do not share God’s Word with our children and grandchildren? We are
told in Judges 2:19 that after Joshua and his generation had died, another
generation grew up who did not know the Lord or what He had done for
Could it be that Joshua’s generation, though
they loved the Lord, neglected to share their faith with their children so that
it could be shared with children and grandchildren in future generations? The
result of their not being taught about the Lord and how He had blessed the
nation of
My granddad’s
example impressed upon me the importance of continually turning to the Word of
God and teaching my children – and now grandchildren – about His love and
compassion, mercy and forgiveness so they will never forget.
My question is
this: What will you leave for future generations?
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
- What do
most of your conversations with your children or grandchildren center
around?
- How
often do you talk to your children or grandchildren about Jesus?
Apply
- Have
mini-sessions with your children and grandchildren to share stories from
the Bible about God’s power and love for them.
- Emphasize
the importance of God’s Word by having a “proud board” in your home to
hang pictures your children and grandchildren have drawn from Bible
stories.
Power
- Psalm
78:1, 4, 6 (NIV) “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my
mouth….We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next
generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord; his power and the wonders
he has done…so the next generation would know them, even the children yet
to be born, and they in turn would tell their children.”
- Psalm
102:18 (NIV) “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people
not yet created may praise the Lord.”
- Romans
15:4 (NIV) “For everything that was written in the past was written to
teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the
Scriptures we might have hope.”
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