What do we want to give our children? We have many hopes and dreams for them. That they are more successful than we are, that they are more skilled. That they have faith, friends, and love. We want them to make good grades, have a sense of humor, be hardworking, honest, kind, forgiving. We want them to know how to cook and clean and be self-sufficient, manage their money, be responsible. If you can’t home-school – which we can’t because we cannot afford to not work – how do you do it all – how do you find the time to pass all the important things down to the next generation? It is all important.
I used to get discouraged at how to teach my kids to become adults. I used to worry that they were not ‘involved’ in enough things. I don’t worry anymore. I sat down one day and thought, where to start, what is the most important thing I can pass to them? If I were to die before they are grown, what do I want them to remember? FAITH! God is the most important. None of that other stuff even matters in the face of salvation!!!! (And yet a lot of that stuff will come along with a true faith.)
I grew up believing in God. I grew up knowing all about heaven and how to get there. I still did not read my bible. I would leaf through it occasionally, maybe read a verse here and there; I would pray ‘pretty much’ daily. We went to church, usually. I didn’t even know about tithing. I went through a rough time when I was around 30 and I FOUND my bible; I began my TRUE faith walk. And it has grown and grown and grown and grown some more.
I don’t want my kids to wait until they are 30 to learn the truths of the bible. I don’t want them to wait until they are 32 to know exactly how God wants them to live their lives. I don’t want them to wait until they are 36 to walk hand in hand with Jesus wherever they go. Think of what this kind of faith will mean as they go through their lives! They need it to make choices in high school. They need God to choose a spouse. Most of all, if Jesus comes tomorrow, they need their faith to LIVE.
The most important thing we can give our kids as a gift or legacy is FAITH. And the biggest part of passing them faith is the bible. Matthew 4:4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”NLT Jesus himself quoted that from Deuteronomy 8:3, when he fought off the devil’s temptations. We all want our kids to have the weapon to fight off Satan! You teach them the bible, you show them how to apply it through examples in your own life and whenever you can in their lives. You show them how important they are, and how important time in God’s word is by investing time in them all! Give them the tools through bible study. Show them how to use those tools in life by using them yourself!
Just what would your life be like if you had started your true faith, your personal walk with God, your close relationship with Jesus, and the constant company of the Holy Spirit in your early teens? How would it be different than it is now? What would God have used you for if you were listening to his voice way back then…? That is the legacy we should strive to leave for our kids. That is the legacy that will truly give them a life of peace, and joy, and happiness. That is THE LEGACY! The only one worth having.
Those were my thoughts last fall... and so... I wrote a book.
Our Legacy: Bringing Families Together with God (Volume 1) is like lesson plans for the gospels. Each lesson includes a reading, questions, a reflection on the passage (to further explain and apply the passage), activities to help retention and understanding and life application, and a prayer. I wrote this book to help God's word become an integral part of our lives and spread God's word as far as I possibly could. This book is a compiles the gospels, so you are reading the same bit of history from each gospel at the same time from each gospel author's perspective. Volume 1 (the beginning of the gospels through Jesus's walk on water) is available now, and Volume 2 (the water walk through Jesus's ascension) is currently in the printing process and should be available by Christmas. I am currently working in Acts.
Here is the link to my book:
https://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=9781681428994
or you can contact me directly at angkev07@gmail.com.
https://youtu.be/GPKxo5RJDzg
I hope you enjoy it and pray that it will bring a blessing to your lives!
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