O God, You have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare Your wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come (Ps 71:17-18).
One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts (Ps 145:4).
From Influence to Heritage
Every person has influence. There may be times that it is ignored, minimized, misused, and neglected; however, that does not mitigate its presence. As we go about living, people watch and pay attention. This is a sobering reality of life.
Understanding that basic principle is important in terms of leverage. The goal for each person is to take the influence he or she has and turn that influence into a heritage for the Lord.
The psalmist makes this desire clear. His wish is that when he is old and gray headed that he will have the mental capacity necessary, an awareness of God’s presence, and strength to point those around him to the excellencies of God. He desires to not just declare God’s mighty acts to the next generation but to also praise God’s work.
This does not begin when one is old; this begins today – regardless of your age.
Take Advantage of Today
One of the major fears for any person in life is to live inconsistently. An inconsistent lifestyle chips away at our integrity. King Solomon declared the day of one’s death as better than the day of one’s birth because finally at death the danger of blowing one’s life testimony is over (Eccl 7:1). Every day of life presents a risk that in the choices of the day one may jeopardize his or her testimony.
The Apostle Paul challenges young Timothy to carefully check his own heart daily (1 Tim 4:16) because of its potential effect on others.
King Solomon again charges his son to guard his heart because out of it flow the issues of life – the discernment or lack of it in daily struggles, choices, desires, and affections (Prov 4:23).
The challenge every day is to walk properly (i.e., godly, upright, wholesome) by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and not making any provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts (Rom 13:14).
The good news though for each of us is that God provides us grace every day to do what we are supposed to do in order to honor Him in each of our pressure-filled circumstances (1 Cor 10:13).
Every day we have an opportunity. Every day there is risk. Every day there is grace.
What’s the Benefit?
There are many benefits of living every day with both an awareness of the opportunities and risks of an honorable life for God. The primary benefit of course is that you will begin to honor God consistently in all you say, do, and desire. This is the greatest thing. As a result, you will enjoy God more, enjoy living obedient to God more, and enjoy all the many, many other benefits that come along with a good relationship with God.
The second primary benefit is building a heritage for the Lord. Those that follow us can learn by hearing and seeing the excellencies of God, the beauty of Christ, and the joy of walking in the Spirit. Praising God’s works and declaring His mighty acts are underlined, emphasized, accentuated, affirmed, and highlighted by a life well lived. Our children and grandchildren will not need to sort out the differences between what we say about God and how inconsistently we live for God.
Happy 98th Birthday Grandad!
I bring glory to God for giving our family my grandad for these 98 years! He has built a heritage for the Lord. Every day he lives, he still must choose to honor God in it. But I’m grateful that he has and does. Make no mistake about it though, as much as I am grateful for my grandad and his life, I recognize it is only because of Jesus and His life that this was possible. The grace of God working in and through my grandad’s life allows me on his 98th birthday to recognize what God has done in Him and through Him.
Grandad has declared God’s strength to his generation, His power to the next generation, praised God’s works, and declared God’s mighty acts. He didn’t stop there. He also has lived it. May God bless him with continued health and a consistent testimony for God’s glory.
Pastor Kevin’s Blog | Walking together through life as friends in Christ sharing wisdom along the journey