PursuitSample

Creating Legacy. “Honey! What are we going to tell the kids?” - Devotion with Ps Rudolf Tamsen

I have been meditating on the concept of building a legacy and the thought of one day being able to tell my children about the incredible moves of God in my life. I often forget that the Israelites were enslaved for 400 years, meaning that they were enslaved for several generations. I can imagine that the first few generations would tell their children tales of freedom, victory, and breakthrough.

However, as the years continued and some of the older generations died out, I can imagine the tales started to change. The tales would have shifted from tales of inspiration to tales of ‘don’t get your hopes up’. I can picture some of the older slaves teaching the younger slaves how to be better slaves.

This is why I believe God had to use an Israelite that was raised in the house of Pharaoh. All Moses would have heard were these tales of great battles being won, people achieving their goals and dreams, and great feats of leadership. Moses had a renewed mind! Romans 12:2 talks about the importance of having a renewed mind, not settling to the patterns of this world. I believe this is important as we are looking to grow and lead our churches, not to settle with either the victories or the defeats that we have seen, but to continue seeking the Lord on what His will is!

This thought has changed the motivations behind the decisions I make every day, as the decisions I make every day will affect my children and their children. Similarly, the night that Jacob wrestled with God in Genesis 32:24-30, It was more than just a wrestling match, Jacob was wrestling to gain a victory for his children and their children. This victory is what became the DNA of an entire nation - the nation of Israel. Jacob was able to tell his kids that he would not stop wrestling until God blessed him. I believe we need to continue wrestling the challenges we have every day because this will bless our kids and their kids.

Another great image of this can be seen in the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 and 2 Samuel 21:15-22. When Goliath was shouting threats at the Israelites, there wasn’t a single man in the army of Israel that could face him. Then in walks this kid, with a renewed mind, and boldly slays the giant. The scripture documents that David’s siblings were there that day. What I can imagine happened after David killed Goliath is that his siblings told their wives and children about ‘what happened at work’. Fast forward to 2 Samuel 21:15-22 and you see so many different people in the army slaying giants. So, within one generation Israel’s army went from not being able to slay a single giant, to a lot of ‘giant slayers’. David’s victory blessed the entire nation and their children.

To conclude, this is the power of actively outworking a renewed mind (daily) and building an inheritance for the next generation.

Prayer

Father, I pray that you would help us and lead us to renew our minds. Give us fresh visions and insights into the victories you have called us to. I pray that we would never settle with the successes or the disappointments of the past. Lord, I pray for the generations to come, that they would run further than we ever could! Give us divine strategies on how to father and mother the next generation. Amen.