2 Timothy 1:5-7I recall vividly the day I went to my mother’s house to ask for money that I might enroll in a seminary class so I could begin in ministry. She willingly handed me a check for what I needed and told me, “This is from your grandmother.”
I asked her to explain. She told me that her mother had always wanted one of her grandchildren to enter into the ministry, so the money, in a sense, was coming from my grandmother so that I might fulfill her desire.
Today’s passage comes from the second letter to the young man, Timothy, as he develops his faith. Where does Timothy’s faith come from? What should Timothy do? What type of attitude should he have in his faith?
When looking at our faith we may feel that we are completely on our own with our relationship with God. And in many ways we are indeed alone in our walk of faith. It is up to each of us to determine what type of connection we will have with our Lord.
But we cannot dismiss the influence of our heritage. Our faith, for good or for bad, is influenced by the family that has come before us. Those who are our parents, our brothers and sisters, cousins and grandparents all have a bearing on what type of faith we will have.
Timothy is a young man of growing faith. His faith is not just his own, however. His connection to the Lord began with his grandmother and lived also in his mother. Through the influence of these women Timothy was able to have a powerful faith.
Our family will have an influence on our eagerness to be with God. Our family’s attitude can affect how deep we will go in our beliefs and how we will live out our faith in Jesus.
Those of us who are parents must keep in mind the influence we will have on our children. Will we by the example of our lives guide our children into a holy attitude and faithful life? Even if we are not parents we can influence how other relatives will connect to God.
DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you remember where your faith comes from?
No comments:
Post a Comment