The serving legacy

Have you been called to serve?  Do you find yourself serving in your church over and over again?  There could be a good reason for that.  Maybe it runs in the family.

I’ve been reading the first few chapters of Numbers.  This is where the Lord placed the Levites over the service of the care of the most holy things in the tabernacle of meeting.  When the Israelites were ready to move locations, Aaron and his sons would disassemble everything…the curtains, the utensils, the lamps…and then cover them.  They were the only ones allowed to touch the things inside.  After that, the Levites were the ones entrusted with carrying everything to the next location.  They were called for this purpose.

I believe that there are families today that are called in this same way.  Do you notice how some people just love to serve?  Have you seen some families that seem to always have a member that serves or is involved?  The church needs workers.  Things that go on at a church don’t happen by accident or without help.

My great-grandmother, Pearl Tolbert

My great-grandmother started a church that is still going strong to this day.  To its original church building, she would walk from her home, and light a fire in the old wood stove in the winters.  Sometimes, when it was extremely cold, people wouldn’t even show up, but she was ever-faithfully there.

My mother was often a teacher for one of my classes at church; and we sang in the church choir together for most of my life.  My father served on the church board up until my young adulthood; and, on the weekends, could almost always be found mowing grass or making repairs around the church.

On the flip side, I know a pastor who was not raised with Christian parents, but made the decision to live for and serve the Lord.  His son and grandson became pastors, as well.  His great-grandchildren are also growing up with hearts that love the Lord and a passion for serving.  Just because you don’t have the heritage behind you, doesn’t mean you can’t start one for the generations that will follow you!

The best thing you can do for your family is to serve with them, and to leave a legacy of service behind you.  I am grateful that I was born into a family of people who serve the Lord, but I am more grateful that I can show my children the way to serve Him.  Even if you don’t have children of your own, it’s those nieces and nephews, those cousins and young people around you that you can still influence.  Don’t ever think it doesn’t matter.  Just one servant decision at a time…it matters.

Serving with you,

jamie

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Legacy

If you’ve been initiated into a fraternity or sorority then your children, grandchildren, siblings, and in some cases, your nieces and nephews are then considered a “legacy.”  Traditionally, this meant they were given automatic admission into that same fraternity or sorority when it came time for them to join.

This morning I was reminded that I was a member of a sorority back in college.  Unfortunately for me, the memories of that time are not some of the proudest moments in life.  So when I think about my daughter being a “legacy” of those moments, actions, or choices, I cringe.  Those are not things I want to pass on to her or to my son.

It just so happens that I was listening to the song Broken Vessels this morning, before this reminder.  So as I was thinking about what a terrible legacy I was passing on to my children, God’s amazing grace washed over me.  Through His amazing grace, I have a new legacy to pass on to my children.  I have a legacy of hope, of beauty, of eternal reward and eternal life to pass on to my children.

I am so thankful for God.  He took the pieces that I chose to throw down and let be broken and shattered and He gathered them and mended them and made me whole.  He didn’t do it just for me, but for my children, my grandchildren and all the other “legacies” coming after me.  Oh, what a beautiful thing!!  I am truly thankful for His amazing grace!

These aren’t just lyrics to a song for me.  This is my heart’s song this morning!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see!

Leaving a new legacy,

jamie

Clothing choices

Pr. 31:25:  “Strength and honor are her clothing; she shall rejoice in time to come.”

Strength and honor are her clothing.  This is such an interesting verse to me.  I like the idea of being clothed with strength and honor.  What a beautiful attire.

I am not strong in body, but with God I can absolutely be strong in spirit.  It is the Lord that gives me strength.  It is in my weakness that the Lord perfects His strength within me.  It is the Holy Spirit that empowers and equips me.  The Lord, alone, is my strength; for nothing is impossible with Him.  No matter what this life brings, the knowledge that the Lord will never leave me nor forsake me gives me such strength that I can continue forward, in His care.

Honor can come in many ways.  When we do what we say we will do, we are being honorable: keeping promises and commitments, following through, showing up.  Telling the truth is honorable, especially if we can also understand that sometimes truth needs to be delivered in a loving and kind way.  (Sometimes the truth can hurt)  Treating others kindly and respectfully shows them honor, and thus brings honor back to ourselves.  I could go on and on.

Honor is a beautiful accessory to our wardrobes, for sure.  It is something we can ask the Lord to continue to grow in our lives.  I think it is something akin to holiness, which is never out of style.

“She will rejoice in time to come.”  When we have been wearing such beautiful things in our lives, of course when we look back over our lives we will rejoice.  What a wonderful legacy we will have been leaving behind us.  What beautiful footprints we will have laid down in which others can safely follow.  What a glorious testimony we will have given; one of glory to our God and trust in the One who gave us strength to make it through.  🙂

I can’t help but smile as I think about it.  The clothes in my closet certainly won’t bring any level of satisfaction at the end of my life, but this strength and this honor…Oh, Lord, let it be.  Help me, daily, Lord, to wear the attire that has been described in this verse.  I want to honor You above all, Father, and to bring glory to Your name.  I want to be able to show that it was by Your strength that I was able to do things that would have otherwise been impossible.  Help us all, Lord, in the matchless name of Your Son, Jesus.  Amen.

Richly clothed,

jamie

Introducing the Messiah

Mt. 27:25: “And all the people answered and said, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.'”

This is what the people said to Pilate when he washed his hands before them saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person [Jesus]. You see to it.”

Pilate could find no fault in Jesus because there was none.  The people took the fault upon themselves, but what struck me this morning was that they not only took the fault upon themselves, but they put it upon their children, as well.  Wow!  That’s some kind of serious burden and legacy to place upon your own children.

Back in Ps. 78, Asaph writes, “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.”  (vs. 2-4)

What happened between the time he wrote this and the time that Jesus was standing before the people and Pilate?  Well, just because one father decides to tell his kids about the Lord doesn’t mean they all do.  We know that.  That is why people did not recognize the Messiah when He came.  He was standing right in front of them, and instead of worshiping and honoring them, they took their blood upon themselves and their own children, crucifying Him.

We have the same responsibility today that Asaph had all those years ago, and it doesn’t matter if we are a parent or not.  Jesus is going to come back one day for His bride.  We must not hide the parables and the truth about our loving Savior and Messiah from the generations around us.  We need to tell the praises of the Lord.  He is worthy!  We need to talk about His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.  He is mighty!

We can leave a wonderful legacy to the world around us.  A legacy of eternal life and reward.  There is still time to help those around us recognize the Messiah and give Him honor.  Get involved in sharing the gospel one way or another.  Don’t let someone meet their Messiah unprepared because you weren’t willing to open your mouth.  Let’s follow Asaph’s example and leave the legacy of hope they’ve been granted through grace.

Thank You, Jesus Christ, for our salvation through Your death and resurrection!  Thank You for Your grace, mercy, and forgiveness through the cross!  We praise You, and You alone, our King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  Amen.

jamie

Pr. 20:7: “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.”    (Now that’s a legacy worth leaving!)

 

My prayer journal entry for today

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.” Pr. 20:7

Lord, help me to walk in my integrity so that You may be glorified and my children may be blessed.  

 

Traditional prayer journal

I gave you the why’s for praying journaling in my last blog Prayer Journaling 101.  Now, let’s get to the how.

Let’s start with what I think of as the “traditional” prayer journal.  I put it in quotes because there is no formula that must be followed for this, but in this type of journal, you just write your prayers. 

Although I pray all throughout the day, I find that it also helps me to set aside some time for focused prayer.  That’s where my prayer journal comes in handy.  I find that my written prayers tend to feel more sincere and focused, because my attention does not become as easily distracted.

I also like the language I use when I write a little more than the informal language I use when I speak, so when I really want to give God my personal best, I write.

This type of journal is also where you might want to write how you are feeling and then pray about it.  Perhaps you are feeling joyful and full of praise.  Write out your praises and leave that proof of His faithfulness for the next time you need to be reminded that He still answers prayers.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, He already knows it.  Talk to Him about it.  When He created Adam and Eve, He came down in the cool of the day to talk with them.  He wants fellowship with us.  He has also invited us to come boldly to His throne of grace in our time of need.  It’s ok to tell Him things.  Write it out in your prayer journal and watch Him come to your rescue!  He will.

Sometimes, even as I’m writing, I can feel God’s Holy Spirit…the Comforter…come upon me, bringing me peace, and speaking comfort to me.  If you have your prayer journal, you can write down the things you feel God speak to your heart as He speaks them.  What beautiful records to have for later reference, as well.  🙂

To the left, is a record of a night when I was feeling down, but had gone to the altar at church and the Lord spoke to me through a Pastor and lifted me up.  I remember that service and I’m so glad I have it recorded as a reminder that my God is faithful!  I wrote it down and praised the Lord through prayer in my journal.  He deserved honor for what He had done for me.  I wanted it to be known!  When my kids read through that one day, they will see His faithfulness at work and know that I was grateful!

Prayer journals are also an excellent place to record prayer requests.  How many people have you told that you will be praying for them?  Have you been?  You can write their names down and come back to them daily or weekly and pray for them.  You can also leave a record and remind others as you watch God answer those prayers.

I hope that you are feeling encouraged to begin a prayer journal.  They aren’t anything fancy.  Just a way to keep our ever-distracted minds focused as we pray, and a beautiful record of God’s faithfulness, love, and provision.

Next time, I will share a few of my less traditional journal pages.  They’re different, but have been helpful during different seasons of my soul.

Grab your journal and pen.  It’s time to start writing!

jamie

Next blog:  Scripture/Prayer Journal and Art Prayer Journals

Month of Prayer, Day 20

Lord, I do love knowing Your Word.  I love that throughout the day, Your Word is in my mind and in my mouth.  I love how Your Word guides my steps and equips me.

Knowing that You are with me gives me strength.  Knowing Your law gives me wisdom.  Knowing that I am Yours gives me confidence.  Lord, where would I be without Your Word?  I know where I have ended up during times before when I chose to ignore Your Word and Your Holy Spirit.  Those were times of loneliness and sin that left me with much regret.

In contrast, Lord, when I look back over the times in my life when I allowed You to truly be Lord of my life, I have no regrets.  I never regret serving You.  I never regret choosing to following Your Word, or the leading of Your Holy Spirit.  I never regret trusting You, Lord.  Thank You for the peace that comes from serving You.

Lord, surrendering to You means that I truly have freedom!  There is freedom that comes from the peace of submitting to my Savior.  In light of that, Lord, Your words truly are sweet to my taste.  Your Word and Your Spirit are my treasures.  Your faithfulness is the solid foundation that keeps me upright.

Sin no longer looks good when I know that it’s fruit is loneliness, bitterness, sadness, and regret.  When I know that sin takes me away from You, Lord, I no longer want it.  I want to be safe in the arms of my Father.  I want to be in the shadow of Your wings; the apple of Your eye.

Lord, Pr. 20:7 says, “The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”  Lord, I want my children to be blessed because I chose to walk with You.  I want my children to find the same trust and security in You that I have found.

I do not want them to have to find out the hard way, as I did, so I try to tell them of Your greatness and Your faithfulness when I can.  Help me to keep Your Word on my lips, encouraging them and telling them of Your greatness.  Oh, that their ears will be open to hear.

Let me walk in integrity, Lord, and be a living example of Your love and Your might for my children.  Let their eyes be open to see.  As You guide my steps, guide theirs ever closer to You, as well.  I long that my children will know and trust and serve You.  I long for them to live in the freedom that comes from serving You.  I defy the bonds of sin that would threaten to ensnare them, in Jesus’ name.

As I meditate on Your Word today, Lord, let it drip from my tongue and taste sweeter than honey to my children, Father.  Let them long for more.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Month of Prayer, Day 5

In Ps. 119:20, the psalmist declares, “My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times.”  Oh, God, his desire to know more of You was so strong that it overcame him and ‘broke his soul’.  His desire for You exhausted and wore on him, zapping his strength in the best of ways.  God, that I would allow that type of desire to take hold in my own heart.  Oh, that my desire to know You would consume my thoughts as much as any unfulfilled desire ever could.

Lord, in Pr. 5, Solomon pleads again with his son to pay attention to his wisdom and his understanding.  He instructs his son not to be enraptured by an immoral woman.  He warns him of the dangers of being seduced by desire towards her.  Lord, Your Word tells us the same things.  We allow our desire for so many things to take our steps away from You, but all the while, we should be so consumed with a desire for You that nothing else will satisfy.  Forgive me, Lord, for placing my desire in other places.

Help me to hear Your Word as the instruction that will truly keep from reproach and contempt.  Help me not to depart from the Word of Your mouth that was given to keep me from being caught in the cords of sin, and quite literally from death.  Do not let me despise Your instruction, nor let me be consumed by anything other than my desire for more of You.  You alone are worthy of my life.  You alone are worthy of my desire, my longings, my devotion.

Oh, that Your Word would give me more delight than any other thing could even imagine to bring.  Awaken in me a new desire, Lord, for more of You.  Awaken a longing such as I have never had before.

Let my longing for You be passed to my children and my children’s children.  Let the generations to come long for You so strongly that it also breaks their souls.  Oh, that our longing would produce works that will glorify You and You alone.  You are worthy of all that and more, Lord, our Creator, our Savior, our Deliverer, and Strength.  Your power and might, Your faithfulness, Your peace…all these things and more make You more desirable than all else.  Keep that in our hearts and in our minds.  Help us to meditate on these things above all other things.  Move in us and use us for Your glory, Lord.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

For whom are you making preparations?

Pr. 4:3-4:  “When I was my father’s son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me, and said to me:”

Others can teach and encourage our children.  However, there are some things that only we can do.

David referred to Solomon tender more than once.  When the Lord revealed to David that Solomon would build the temple, he said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries.  I will now make preparations for it.”  So David made abundant preparations before his death.

He then called Solomon to him and charged him to build the house for the Lord.  He reminded Solomon of what the Lord had told him, and to keep the law of the Lord.  He reminded him that God would prosper him for being obedient.  David then commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon.

Not only did David charge his son to do what he was called to do, but he made enormous preparations to make it possible for Solomon to do his work.  Before the assembly of all the leaders of Jerusalem, David again said that Solomon was “young and inexperienced.”  He called for all the leaders to contribute to the building of the temple.  He let the leaders know exactly what the Lord had said to him concerning Solomon.

In their presence, he also told Solomon, “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of thoughts.  If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but it you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.  Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.”

1 Ch. 29:24-25 says, “All the leaders and mighty men obeyed him, and also all the sons of King David submitted themselves to King Solomon.  So the Lord exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.”

The prayers and preparation of his father, David, set Solomon up for the job to which he was called.  Taking seriously what God spoke over Solomon, David did not just encourage Solomon to fulfill his purpose, he charged him to do it, he made abundant preparations for it, he spoke it to the assembly of all leaders, and he called the leaders to assist his son.  David’s actions spoke more loudly to his son than any words ever could.

We can encourage and speak life, but when we put our money, time, and preparations behind our words, we are making very clear what it is we truly believe.  Others may be able to encourage your children, your family, or your friends, but there are some things that only you can do.  What actions do you need to take today to teach that tender person in your life?

Preparing,

jamie

How to bless your children

Pr. 20:7:  “The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him.”

I witnessed an amazing baptism yesterday that was a testimony to this verse.

Several years ago, a man stood at the funeral of one of his friends and gave his life to the Lord.  This “good ol’ boy” turned his back on adultery, alcoholism, you name it.  Since the day God changed his heart, his life has not been the same.  I’m proud to say he has been an active member of my church ever since.

His aims in life are to love and take care of the weak and helpless, and to tell everyone about the Lord and the Lord’s faithfulness.  He lives his life in complete faith, trusting God for his every need.  Honestly, watching his life is like watching the verses in the Bible about true faith come to life.  A 5-minute conversation with this man is really all it takes to hear about some amazing provision he has witnessed or experienced.  He is full of praise.

He is not alone is this walk.  His wife is ever by his side, supporting, praying, believing, and loving.  She is truly beautiful.  She loves the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I can honestly say that her adornment is the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  This couple invests their lives into everyone around them.  They walk in their integrity.

Yesterday, one of their sons was baptized along with his wife and his own young son.  3 generations now declaring that their lives belong to the Lord!  Did this happen by accident?  Not a chance.

As I watched this man’s young family declare their submission to Christ, I was caught up in the beauty of the testimony of their choices.  Had that father/grandfather not changed his life and begun to walk in his integrity and love of the Lord, who knows where that young family would have been yesterday.  Certainly God can save anyone at anytime; however, the choices of the parents of this young man doubtless pointed him and his family toward the cross.  Praise God!

As proven in this man’s life, if you are walking in your integrity with the Lord, your children will be blessed.  It is clear that this man’s children, and grandchildren have been blessed by his choices.  Maybe you don’t even have children or grandchildren.  Even if the generation behind you isn’t your flesh and blood, there are generations coming after us all.  If you’re invested into any young person’s life, your influence carries weight.

Where do your footprints lead?  Are you pointing others to Christ?  They may not even be born yet, but those who follow are counting on you.  One day you may have children and grandchildren.  Where will you have led them?  In whom will you have taught them to place their hope, trust, and faith?  Will your life and your choices cause them to be blessed?

Encouraged,

jamie