Psalm 145 has been one of my favourite verses for a long time as it demonstrates the power and strength of relationships. It's how we set up the future generations for a win. I am eternally grateful for the spiritual inheritance that was given to me through the godly example of my parents and grandparents as they played the key role in teaching me to have a living and vital faith.
1 I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King!
I will continually bless Your name forever and always.
2 My praise will never cease—
I will praise You every day;
I will lift up Your name forever.
3 The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
4 One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.
Psalm 145:1-4 (Voice)
Other spiritual mothers and fathers in faith have led the way for me as well. One of them was Dr. Lester Sumrall. I will never forget the last sermon I heard him preach at our church before he went to Heaven in 1996. In the most fatherly manner, he spoke with tears in his eyes of a grave concern he had about passing on a ‘spiritual sword’ to the generations to come. He said, ‘In the arena of science & technology, and every other area of knowledge and learning, knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation, only in the area of passing the spiritual sword or baton, have we failed. It seems every generation must begin again. This is not right! Success without a successor is a failure.’
His words have never left me – they have left a deep imprint on my heart and mind.
We are to live our faith boldly and leave a legacy and a lineage of faith. I can’t help but think of how my actions today will impact the generations to come. How would I live and do things differently if I was keenly aware of the lasting impact of my choices? As a grandmother, I now know that when I was raising my three daughters I was effectually raising my grandchildren as well.
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.’ Deut. 30:19
You may not have come from a very healthy home environment and perhaps feel disadvantaged in your ability to pass on a strong and Godly legacy to others. I believe that this is one of the most important aspects of being planted in a thriving church community. God knew everyone needed family – it is a place where we are set up to learn, to grow and to wrestle through our challenges together so that we set up to lead a Godly and successful life. This requires planting your heart and life in the healthy soil of God’s family and investing with faith and commitment, trusting in God’s love and grace because He is a good, good Father. While here on earth you will never find a perfect family, but we can take great joy in knowing our Father is the One who is perfect.
“Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing.’ Ps 92:13-14 NKJV
Helen Burns
Senior Pastor
