Experiencing God at Home (32 page)

Character determines who we are. It guides how we act in response to situations we face in life. Character also determines what our reputation will be.

Mahatma Gandhi is reported to have said,

Seven Deadly Sins . . .

Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice.
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Harry S. Truman stated: “Fame is a vapor, popularity is an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today may curse tomorrow and only one thing endures—character.”
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King Solomon observed: “A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold.”
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A godly legacy is not something you can earn or acquire. You either had one passed down to you or you did not. Some people are born into a rich family heritage. Others are birthed into spiritual poverty. G. R. S. Blackaby passed down a wonderful legacy to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. But much of what he bequeathed to us was first handed down to him. Grandpa’s father and two uncles attended Spurgeon’s college in London, England. The college founder, Charles H. Spurgeon, was known as the “prince of preachers.” People had to obtain a ticket to gain admittance into his church on Sundays to hear the famed expositor. Grandpa Blackaby’s uncle, Frederick E. Blackaby (1855–1929) pastored six churches in England and was noted to be “a popular platform speaker, an acceptable preacher, and an ideal pastor. He had a gracious personality, was a successful winner of souls, and was in the active ministry for forty-two years.”
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His uncle Samuel followed in his brother Frederick’s footsteps. After giving his life to Christ and being baptized by his brother Frederick, he also attended Spurgeon’s College for pastors. Unfortunately, his ministry was brief as his life was cut short by an illness, and he died at thirty-four years old. G. R. S. Blackaby’s father, Joseph Blackaby, also attended the same college as his brothers, but instead of becoming a pastor, he became a baker, with a sweet shop on High Street in Stanstead Abbotts. He became well known for his Christian character and generosity. Not often do three brothers attend the same pastor’s training college, but this was the spiritual atmosphere in which our grandfather was raised. In addition, G. R. S. Blackaby’s brother-in-law and his wife were missionaries to China during the great Manchurian Revival. Much spiritual treasure was given to our grandfather. Those living three generations later are still being enriched by it.

How to Leave a Spiritual Legacy

First, you don’t have to write a best-selling book or return home safely from a war to leave a legacy. You don’t have to start a church or have all your kids go to seminary either. You can be in any walk of life, any culture, and any country. The key to leaving a spiritual legacy is faithfulness to God, a desire to know Him, and honoring Christ with your life.

1. Spiritual Assessment

Regardless of your age, make it your aim to pass on a vast spiritual treasure to your children. Consider what you have accumulated thus far: House? Cars? Money? Property? Jewelery? Ask yourself: When I die, what are the most valuable assets I will pass on? Will any of them honor God? Will any of them encourage my family to trust and serve God? Then invest the necessary effort to collect spiritual assets for the remainder of your life.

Survey where you are spending your time. How much of your time is spent on having an impact on other people’s lives versus spending time on yourself (Matt. 6:33)? How many of your personal/financial goals are meant to impact eternity, and how many are designed to give you a comfortable retirement? When you stand before Christ one day, will you be able to confidently say, “I have completed everything you gave me to do” (see John 17:4)?

2. Determination

As a mother or a father, determine to be faithful to God and to honor Him in your home. Maintain high personal moral standards, serve your church faithfully, and help your children understand the benefits and blessings that come from obeying God. Jesus urged His followers to be mindful of the example they were setting, saying, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16
hcsb
). Your most constant and perceptive audience are your family members. If you make concessions in your character or compromise your morals, you risk forfeiting your spiritual legacy.

3. Prayer

A good place to begin developing your spiritual legacy is your prayer life. Begin a prayer journal where you keep track of what you pray and how and when God answers. One day one of your grandchildren may inherit your prayer journal and discover that much of what occurred in his life was initiated in your prayer times on his behalf. When you pray:

• Look to the future; don’t just focus solely on the present. For example, while your children and grandchildren are still young, pray for God to provide them with godly spouses so their homes will be committed to honoring Him. Pray for their education and career choices so their lives achieve all God intends for them.
  
• Ask God to keep each member of your family faithful to the values and the spiritual legacy handed to them. Pray for God to protect them from temptations, compromise, and distraction that would divert them from God’s path.
  
• Ask God to protect your children’s marriages from dissension and divorce. One of the reasons God “hates” divorce is because of the adverse affect it exerts on children for generations to come. God wants to produce “godly offspring” from parents who reflect God’s faithfulness in their relationship to one another (Mal. 2:15).
  
• Ask God to give your family members discernment to know His will in every situation.
  

4. Regular Review

Regularly reflect on your life and ask God if you should adjust the way you are currently spending your time. Allow God’s Spirit to deepen your walk with Him and continue to conform you into Christ’s image (Rom. 8:29). When you file your taxes, review how much money you spent on your kingdom and how much you spent on God’s. When you look at your monthly calendar, review what percentage of time you gave to ministry and service to others and how much you spent on pleasure. At the end of each year, you may want to conduct a year-end review with your family (perhaps at Christmas). During that time, you can review the past year and discuss what God accomplished through your family over the course of the year. Reflecting on stories of God working through your family is a great way to build a spiritual tradition and a legacy of faithfulness in your home.

5. Service

Scripture indicates that God has a unique role for each Christian: “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts” (Rom. 12:4-6
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). The Bible also tells us that “we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10
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). There are thousands of ways God can use your family members to bless others. Take time to review the various ministries and volunteer positions you and your family held last year. Ask God if He wants you to continue with each one or if it is time to release one of those responsibilities so you have room in your life for a new ministry God is giving you. Continually ask: Is my life presently serving Christ at its maximum potential? Don’t be satisfied until it is!

A Legacy of Valor

Second Samuel 23 is a peculiar chapter in the Bible. Here the writer lists each of David’s thirty-seven
mighty men of valor
by name. The mightiest of the warriors come first, and the writer describes some of their heroic feats:

• Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief of the three; killed eight hundred at one time.
  
• Eleazar arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and until his hand clung to the sword.
  
• Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them.
  
• Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, a son of a mighty man, was great in deeds. He killed two lion-like men of Moab. He also killed a lion in the middle of a pit.
  

The list of these thirty-seven men will forever be known as David’s Mighty Men—or the
Gibborim
in Hebrew. They left their mark on history and have inspired millions of people ever since. Here’s the point. First, God knows people by name (even if they are unpronounceable!). People are important to God, and He knows each one of their deeds. Second, God can use our faithfulness to Him as an inspiration for others. Third, we can set a high standard for others to follow by how we live. We don’t have to simply try and meet the bar; we can raise it.

In many cases, people are known primarily for one significant contribution during their lifetime. A few are more prolific. Tragically, many others have little to show for the expenditure of their life.

• Moses led the people out of Egypt.
  
• Noah built an ark.
  
• Billy Graham preached to millions.
  
• Marie Curie was awarded two Nobel Prizes in chemistry and physics for her work with radium and radioactivity.
  
• James Naismith invented basketball.
  
• Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa to be elected by a fully representative, democratic election.
  
• George Herman (Babe) Ruth Jr. is known as the greatest baseball player of all time.
  
• William and Catherine Booth founded the Salvation Army.
  
• Thomas Alva Edison invented the phonograph, motion picture camera, and lightbulb.
  
• Abraham Lincoln emancipated American slaves.
  

While you will have your entire life to serve God, there may be a handful of achievements God intends to accomplish through you that will particularly mark your legacy. Perhaps it is to write a book, start a company, or lead someone to faith in Christ (such as Mr. Kimball, whose only known contribution to history was leading a young D. L. Moody to become a Christian!). Perhaps it is to make a contribution to science or to teach a generation of leaders who will one day impact their nation and world. Have you ever asked God why He placed you on the earth at the time, in the place, and with the skills that He did? If you haven’t, you ought to. It might prove quite enlightening!

A Historic Ring (A Story from Tom)

Last year my oldest son, Matthew, graduated from high school in British Columbia, Canada, just like his grandpa Henry. He was captain of his senior high basketball team, just like his grandpa. He is smart, musical, and athletic, like his grandpa. He was also offered basketball scholarships at college, like his grandpa. So when I came across my father’s high school graduation ring, with
HTB
engraved on the top, I handed it to my son to wear as an inspiration when he gave his valedictorian speech at the graduation ceremony. I mentioned that when his grandpa Henry Thomas Blackaby was finishing high school, he had no idea what his future held, but God did. I wanted Matthew Thomas Blackaby to realize he not only carried his grandpa’s name with him but his ring—a symbol of God’s work and faithfulness in the past and a promise of God’s work and faithfulness in the future.

Our father, Henry, is known for many things (like raising amazing children!), but his greatest life contribution may well be authoring the book
Experiencing God
. He was fifty-five years old when he wrote that book. He had already spent a significant portion of his life serving God and raising a family before penning that volume. By the time he had entered his sixth decade, he might have thought his best days were behind him. But in fact, they were just beginning. God is like that. He knows all the days He has allotted to us, and He understands how best to spend them (Ps. 139:14–16). That’s why it is crucial for parents to teach their children how to walk with God. Henry Blackaby has often said he wanted to live his life in such a way that his children would want to serve the God he served (he did). Today, children are being inundated with enticements to take alternative pathways that lead away from God. They need parents who will confidently teach them those pathways that lead to life and away from destruction.

Restorative Justice (A Story from Tom)

I volunteer with a community youth service that works with local police to help young offenders straighten out their lives before they get into serious trouble. In this program, the teenagers come to us after having committed minor offences such as shoplifting, theft, defacing public property, carrying a knife to school, or fighting. They are each assigned a mentor to guide them through the completion of their assigned number of community service hours, any restitution that is needed, letters of apology, and a variety of other assignments designed to help them focus their energy on accomplishing their life goals. One day I met a fourteen-year-old youth who, at first meeting, seemed like an ordinary teenager. But then I learned that in a three-day span of time, he had been: (1) suspended from school for carrying a knife; (2) placed on the police watch list for drugs purchased with intent to sell; (3) been in a serious fistfight; and (4) in jeopardy of being kicked out of the Youth Diversion program for breaking behavioral contracts. I was stunned at how many destructive choices this youth had made in such a brief amount of time. Three days of bad decisions could haunt him the remainder of his life.

Most of the kids in this youth rehabilitation program come from broken homes. Some are in foster care, and others are in protective custody safe houses. My heart breaks when I meet these teenagers and see how their future hangs precariously in the balance between success and youth detention centers. As a mentor, I talk about values, integrity, good character, making wise choices, seeking knowledge, and determining not to allow others to distract them from accomplishing their goals. These are all principles their parents failed to teach them. In some cases where parents have failed, grandparents, uncles, aunts, teachers, coaches, youth pastors, people at church, and foster parents can step in and be the godly examples children need. We all have a vested interest in providing a godly legacy to the youth of today whether they are our children or not.