Hold On To Your Inheritance
At church this week my pastor preached a message based on 2 Chronicles 12 called “Substituting Shields of Brass.” If you read that chapter in the Bible you will understand the title, but the basic idea was that people often ignore the blessings they have and go in search of something better. They often forsake the Lord and look for something more fulfilling - as if that exists. I have seen it over and over again. People who I once called dear friends have decided to give up the blessings that come with a life of service and love for the Lord in search of something better (or perhaps I should say “more fun”) and they never find it. Living a life in God’s will and protection is the best life there is! It is a wonderful life!
As Pastor shared the story of King Rehoboam I thought of the people who once filled the pews of my church and are now gone. Of course there are those who simply moved away and are still faithfully serving God in another church now. But there are many who have gone away selfishly and now live a much more shallow life apart from God. And I have often wondered why they left. How did they get from the point where they were so in love with God and so plugged in at church and ministered and served and played a vital role in the local church to acting like He doesn’t even exist? And as I sat there thinking about these things the pastor gave a list of things that happen along the road to forsaking God. Here they are:
1. They stop listening.
- They don’t listen to the Lord, the sermons, or the good advice of others. Suddenly they think they know better than everyone around them.
2. They let their pride get in the way.
- They decide that they can do what they want and escape the consequences. (They never do.)
3. They allow their relationship with the Lord to diminish.
- They get busy and stop making time with Him a priority or they substitute something else in its place. Usually they think they will eventually find their way back, but the truth is, there isn’t always a way back.
4. They get in a cycle of bad choices.
- We underestimate the effect that once poor choice can make on the rest of our lives. Each decision leads us to another. And in some cases one bad decision leads to a road full of more bad choices.
5. They fail to appreciate the value of what they already have.
- This is where it all starts. When you forget to be grateful for all you have been given, you start to become dissatisfied and look outside of God’s will for something else that will make you happy. Before you know it, items 1-4 are happening.
I started thinking of my own life and all I have been given. I am a true example of someone who has been given “golden shields.” I have a legacy of faith in my family, and excellent church to strengthen my walk with the Lord, and a husband who leads our family spiritually. My parents met and married in the church where they raised me. They still attend and faithfully serve there today as do my brother and I. My husband was raised in the same church as well. It is overwhelming to think of what God has blessed me with! And now, my husband and I are doing our best to raise our daughter with the same inheritance. As I think of how much I want her to grow up to love and serve the Lord I can’t help but ask, Lord, how do I make sure she doesn’t stray?
My husband gave me even more to think about on the way home from church that night. We talked about the sermon, about how grateful we are for what we have, about raising a daughter who we hope will one day be just as grateful for it. And as we talked about friends we once had who also grew up in the church he mentioned that many of those kids saw their parents live two separate lives. They were tucked in and straightened up and acted godly on Sundays but acted completely differently the rest of the week - ungodly. Those kids did not learn to respect their parents or the church. They saw church as a chore, a place where everyone went to pretend and to look good but a place that had no real meaning in their lives. What a tragedy that they were so close to a life of purpose and joy and squandered it because of the example their parents set.
After the sermon, the talk with my husband, and time with my own thoughts I am more determined than ever to live a life of true devotion to my God. I want to be a good example to my daughter and allow her to inherit her own “golden shields.” She already has such a legacy of faithfulness over several generations and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she sees the value in that. I pray that she will never trade in her shields of gold for shields of brass!
Lord, thank you for the precious inheritance you have given me at the hands of my parents and my church family. Thank you for parents who showed me the value of a life lived for you and for a place like Eastland in which to learn and serve. Please help me to always be grateful for the many blessings you have given me there. Lord, I ask that you will help me and guide me as I strive to listen to godly counsel and to your Word. Help me to be humble and seek Your will in each area of my life and in my daughter’s life. Help me to continually work at strengthening my relationship with you by spending time in your Word and in prayer. And above all please help my husband and I to make good choices guided by Your Word - especially in the area of parenting! Let me never squander the inheritance I have been given. And please Lord, let my daughter never squander her own spiritual inheritance. I love you Father and I thank you for the gift of a godly legacy!
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
- Hebrews 10:23
My blog is not endorsed by my church, but I wanted to share its website with you. If you’re in the Tulsa area and looking for a great place to worship or a place where you can learn more about God, this is the place to go! It is full of friendly people and practical preaching. I think it’s the best place on earth!
www.eastlandbaptist.org
And if you don’t know my Jesus, I am praying that you will come to know Him as your personal Savior soon! Please take a moment to visit this link and read how you can know for sure that you’ll be with Him in heaven when you die. My Jesus loves you and wants you to be His child and follower!
http://eastlandbaptist.org/about/salvation.html
As Pastor shared the story of King Rehoboam I thought of the people who once filled the pews of my church and are now gone. Of course there are those who simply moved away and are still faithfully serving God in another church now. But there are many who have gone away selfishly and now live a much more shallow life apart from God. And I have often wondered why they left. How did they get from the point where they were so in love with God and so plugged in at church and ministered and served and played a vital role in the local church to acting like He doesn’t even exist? And as I sat there thinking about these things the pastor gave a list of things that happen along the road to forsaking God. Here they are:
1. They stop listening.
- They don’t listen to the Lord, the sermons, or the good advice of others. Suddenly they think they know better than everyone around them.
2. They let their pride get in the way.
- They decide that they can do what they want and escape the consequences. (They never do.)
3. They allow their relationship with the Lord to diminish.
- They get busy and stop making time with Him a priority or they substitute something else in its place. Usually they think they will eventually find their way back, but the truth is, there isn’t always a way back.
4. They get in a cycle of bad choices.
- We underestimate the effect that once poor choice can make on the rest of our lives. Each decision leads us to another. And in some cases one bad decision leads to a road full of more bad choices.
5. They fail to appreciate the value of what they already have.
- This is where it all starts. When you forget to be grateful for all you have been given, you start to become dissatisfied and look outside of God’s will for something else that will make you happy. Before you know it, items 1-4 are happening.
I started thinking of my own life and all I have been given. I am a true example of someone who has been given “golden shields.” I have a legacy of faith in my family, and excellent church to strengthen my walk with the Lord, and a husband who leads our family spiritually. My parents met and married in the church where they raised me. They still attend and faithfully serve there today as do my brother and I. My husband was raised in the same church as well. It is overwhelming to think of what God has blessed me with! And now, my husband and I are doing our best to raise our daughter with the same inheritance. As I think of how much I want her to grow up to love and serve the Lord I can’t help but ask, Lord, how do I make sure she doesn’t stray?
My husband gave me even more to think about on the way home from church that night. We talked about the sermon, about how grateful we are for what we have, about raising a daughter who we hope will one day be just as grateful for it. And as we talked about friends we once had who also grew up in the church he mentioned that many of those kids saw their parents live two separate lives. They were tucked in and straightened up and acted godly on Sundays but acted completely differently the rest of the week - ungodly. Those kids did not learn to respect their parents or the church. They saw church as a chore, a place where everyone went to pretend and to look good but a place that had no real meaning in their lives. What a tragedy that they were so close to a life of purpose and joy and squandered it because of the example their parents set.
After the sermon, the talk with my husband, and time with my own thoughts I am more determined than ever to live a life of true devotion to my God. I want to be a good example to my daughter and allow her to inherit her own “golden shields.” She already has such a legacy of faithfulness over several generations and I will do everything in my power to make sure that she sees the value in that. I pray that she will never trade in her shields of gold for shields of brass!
Lord, thank you for the precious inheritance you have given me at the hands of my parents and my church family. Thank you for parents who showed me the value of a life lived for you and for a place like Eastland in which to learn and serve. Please help me to always be grateful for the many blessings you have given me there. Lord, I ask that you will help me and guide me as I strive to listen to godly counsel and to your Word. Help me to be humble and seek Your will in each area of my life and in my daughter’s life. Help me to continually work at strengthening my relationship with you by spending time in your Word and in prayer. And above all please help my husband and I to make good choices guided by Your Word - especially in the area of parenting! Let me never squander the inheritance I have been given. And please Lord, let my daughter never squander her own spiritual inheritance. I love you Father and I thank you for the gift of a godly legacy!
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
- Hebrews 10:23
My blog is not endorsed by my church, but I wanted to share its website with you. If you’re in the Tulsa area and looking for a great place to worship or a place where you can learn more about God, this is the place to go! It is full of friendly people and practical preaching. I think it’s the best place on earth!
www.eastlandbaptist.org
And if you don’t know my Jesus, I am praying that you will come to know Him as your personal Savior soon! Please take a moment to visit this link and read how you can know for sure that you’ll be with Him in heaven when you die. My Jesus loves you and wants you to be His child and follower!
http://eastlandbaptist.org/about/salvation.html
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