On a recent trip to my parents I was sharing with my mom about getting a record player for Christmas. She told me that she saved some old vinyls and would get them for me. To my great surprise there were several 45's that my great grandpa had released back in the day. It turns out that he was quite the singer songwriter. This impressed me, but, what impressed me even more was what he was singing and writing about...JESUS!
I wasn't raised in a Christian home, we said grace before dinner and went to the Methodist Church every Sunday, but I never heard the name of Jesus spoken, nor did I ever hear that He was the way to heaven. After I got saved, I often wondered if anybody in my family ever prayed for me, as I was the first one saved. Well, it's been 27 years now and my question has finally been answered! Yes, I did have someone who prayed for me...maybe not by name, but by heritage.
Timothy had this experience as well. He was a godly young man who had a godly mother and grandmother, although his father was a non believer. Paul reminds us that even one parent or grandparent can have a great influence upon our lives for eternity; "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also."( 2 Timothy 1:5) The ways of the Lord were passed down through the generations before Timothy, and they are with us as well. Who was it that prayed for you to get saved? What family member influenced your life for Christ? You may not ever know...or you may find out 27 years later, like me. Be encouraged grandparents and parents alike that you can and will make a lasting impression and have eternal rewards in heaven if you do not give up teaching the word, living the word and speaking forth the Word to your children and grandchildren. I can't wait to get to heaven and meet John J. Cox, my godly grandfather who prayed for his his godly heritage to live on!
I love this--the scarlet thread coming down through your family to you!
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