Read: 2 Timothy 1:3–7
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 2 Timothy 1:5
How is faith born in a person? What relationships play a role in directing people toward God? How is Jesus Christ made known to people? Sometimes—perhaps oftentimes—faith is transmitted through family members. Mom or Dad or Grandpa or Grandma was a person of faith, and their faith was passed on to future generations. This doesn’t mean that if a parent or grandparent is a person of faith, the rest of the family will automatically follow. There will be family members who do not catch the Spirit no matter how effectively we try to douse them with it. However, a faithful family member is a much more effective conveyor of the gospel than a church or the local pastor or a total stranger. The regular spiritual diet of family prayers at bedtime and mealtime, the commitment to worshiping as a family, and the encouragement of faith discussions within the household can set the conditions for faith to be transmitted from one generation to the next. A faithful grandmother, a prayerful aunt, or a devoted sibling can be the agent through which the Holy Spirit can claim the lives of an entire family.
How are you transmitting the faith to the next generation?
Lord, I want my children and grandchildren to be in relationship with You. I want them to have a faith they can lean on when times are hard, and I want them to know that they should find time to thank You when all is well. I want them to know You and serve You and love You. In fact, I worry that somehow they might miss out on a life of faith because I have failed to properly instill it in them. Lord, help me to live out my faith in plain sight of all my family—without being holier than thou—and then I will entrust the rest to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.