The Legacy of Family

The Legacy of Family
Words of Faith 6-28-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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2 Timothy 1
[5] I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

It had been a long battle for Paul. After 32 years of ministry, he was now 57. He had always walked a careful path, using every bit of his background to bring the Gospel of Jesus to a broken world. Before this, Paul had always used his Roman citizenship to his advantage. Now it appeared that time was running out.
Circumstances were growing bleak in the Roman jail. It was quite different from some of the earlier incarcerations Paul had experienced, essentially under "house arrest" with a guard assigned duty to him. This was different. Crazy Nero was using Christians as human torches to light his garden at night.
But Paul was encouraged when he thought about his young protégé, Timothy. Timothy's faith was sincere, literally "un-hypocritical." For Timothy, following Jesus was never an act. Paul attributed Timothy's pure faith to the influence of his Jewish mother, Eunice, and Grandmother, Lois, both of whom were believers in Jesus (Acts 16:1).
We know very little about Timothy's father. Most concluded that he was a Gentile and probably an unbeliever. Nevertheless, a sincere faith took root in Timothy, and that faith had first lived in Timothy's mother and grandmother.
Paul saw the powerful influence of a Christian home in Timothy's mother and grandmother. Timothy probably made firm his commitment to Christ upon hearing Paul preach during the First Missionary Journey. Paul counted Timothy as his "son in the faith," primarily because of his mentor relationship with him. Paul had personally discipled Timothy as a young lad. Now, nearly twenty years had passed, and Paul remembered and honored the legacy of Timothy's family.
One of the striking contrasts in these leaders is in comparing how Paul came to faith in Jesus and how Timothy did so. The two stories could hardly be more different. Paul grew up in a strict religious home, excelled in rabbinical studies, joined the Pharisees, and zealously persecuted Christians before he was dramatically struck by a blinding light that instantly changed everything. Timothy, on the other hand, came to faith slowly, listening to the prayers of his mother and grandmother, hearing the scriptures read, and observing the love of Jesus lived out in his home.
We might ask: Is one way the "right way" over the other? Certainly not. The way of coming to God in Christ is the way that God chooses for each of us. Some require a dramatic experience, while others receive seeds faithfully planted, watered, and prayed over in the home. The family legacy of Paul served well over the years of his ministry, as did the family legacy of Timothy.
What is your family legacy? What have you received from your family? You may remember a loving home in which you never knew a time without God. Or you may say you received little or no faith from family, yet, even this void forms the hunger that brings you to Christ. Out of this legacy, we form our own legacy for the future.
Paul was remarkable in using everything he was to bring people to Jesus. He wrote to the Corinthians: "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law, I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so as to win those not having the law. To the weak, I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Corinthians 9:20-22).
What will you do with your legacy, and what legacy will you leave?

Father God, I thank You for all You have done to make and form me. I come to You needing Your grace, mercy, and freedom. Give me the grace to look forward rather than backward. Give me hope that I might leave a legacy that will honor You. Use all things in my life experience to bring honor to the Name of Jesus. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.