Tuesday,  June 17th
Reading for today:   Proverbs 22-24

"a good name is more desirable then great riches"   I was passing through West Virginia and decided to find my ancestral home.  My family comes from a small town in WV formerly known as "Booger Hole" because if was believed to be haunted.  At least, that's the legend.   I couldn't find the remains of a homestead, where I could say "this is where my family came from" and that left me with unanswered questions.   Where did my family come from?   What kind of people were they?   So, I did a little research on the internet, and discovered that my family has been in the United States since long before it was the United States!   If my quick glance is correct, I am a decedent of a man named Patrick Hamrick, who migrated here from Ireland just before 1700.
I wonder if Patrick ever considered what the world would look like 400 years later?   Did he consider that the woman he married would become the matriarch of thousands?   Did he chose his words and actions carefully, knowing that generations would look back on his life and say "That's my relative"?
I doubt it.   Most of us don't give much thought to what the next generation will think or say, much less what three or four generations into the future will think.   But perhaps we should.
A few dollars invested now would be enough for grand kids to retire on, or great grand kids.   What if Patrick had invested in land, and had taught his descendants to do the same?   Perhaps the Hamricks would be wealthy land barons in the South.  Actually, some of them might be.
Here's a thought for today:   When your great grand children look back at your life, will they find anything remarkable enough to make them proud?  Will they find inspiration to keep going, and motivation to finish their tasks?   Will they feel the mantle of greatness, or of tenacity descend upon them?    What are you doing right now that will make future generations proud to be called by your name?
My grandfathers (both of them) were devout Christian men.  Stories are told about how they wouldn't bale the mown hay in the fields on Sunday, even if it was going to rain on Monday.  Or, about how one Grandfather traveled from church to church giving his testimony, encouraging others to accept Jesus as their Savior.    I don't think either of these men were thinking about what their actions would mean to me, but both of them inspire me.

Let's behave in a way that will inspire those around us, and those who come after us, to be devout and righteous.   Let's live in a way that will encourage others to follow the teachings of the Bible, and point them to a relationship with Jesus, which will profit them forever.

Speaking of legacy, we have a father in Jesus who WAS thinking of us when He lived here on earth.   His prayer in John 17 says "I pray for those who will believe in me through their (the disciples) message.."

The legacy of Jesus is what our faith is built upon.

Blessings,

PR