"The Awesome Weight of Legacy"
2 Chronicles 21:1 - 23:21
Romans 11:13-36
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 20:7
Proverbs 20:7 "It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father."
Like it or not, we have a self-centered nature. Many times we view our struggle through Christian maturity as something that is between us and God. God is working in each of us to develop our character into what He wants us to be, but we feel that is a private matter. We all too often forget the larger picture of the impact our character has on generations to come.
2 Chronicles 21:1 starts out, "When Jehoshaphat died..." The first thought in my head was. wow. that's it. All that Jehoshaphat gets is a few pages. A few good lessons of obedience, a few examples of compromise. Is that it? Not really. His allegiance w/ the "evil" King Ahab laid the groundwork for Jehoram, his son, the new king to marry Ahab's daughter, Athaliah. Let's just say she's not someone to name your daughter after. It says in 21:6 of Jehoram, "...and his whole life was one constant binge of doing evil." This pretty much continues for another generation as the lovely Queen Athaliah tries to kill all her grandchildren to protect her throne, and only Joash escapes.
Ugly mess. How does this happen? Character flaws in one generation magnified in the next.
We all know we are not perfect. In fact, there are comfort zone areas of our heart in which we really aren't interested in allowing the Holy Spirit in to do his work. We think we can get by. 2 Chronicles 21:11 says that Jehoram constructed idol shrines in the mountains and compelled the people to worship idols. It drives me nuts how much we read about God's people in the old testament and these shrines in the mountains. However, I'm coming to realize that these mountain shrines represent the corners of our heart and of our character that we try to hide from God. Guess what... It's these shrines that make a mess for future generations.
We may be able to be "whitened sepulchers", as Jesus called the Pharisees, enough to give the appearance of righteousness to those around us, but the pattern of scripture is too consistent and clear for us to think that it wont be revealed somehow.
As I look at my daughter, I wonder about today's Proverb. Will she have the wonderful heritage of an honest father? I consider myself honest, and I do my best, but when I think about her, it raises the bar. Knowing how my integrity affects her future, it causes me to all the more desire the holiness of a surrendered heart.
I can't do this on my own. Romans 11:16b, which is also a part of today's reading says, "For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be too." It is so vital that I am completely grafted to Christ. There is no holiness or purity I can create in myself. It doesn't make a difference what I look like to you or anyone else. It can only come as I am desperately dependent on the Vine of Christ.
It's not that we should be holy for the sake of our kids. We should be holy because He who called us is holy. But it may help to realize the fruit of compromise.
What's your legacy today? What will your children think as they read Proverbs 20:7? My dad will read this. I'm so grateful that I can look at this proverb and be able to relate to the "wonderful heritage" of an honest father. His legacy is known to all. My prayer is that my daughter will look at this verse and feel the same about me. I'm going to live today with that goal. It is an awesome weight, but a tremendous privilege. Lord, graft me to you!
Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!
Pastor Greg Lathe
Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
Mission to Reach our World for Christ
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