Undeserved Blessings, But Very Thankful for Them!

It's already Wednesday! I know grandparents are pretty well hopeless when it comes to their love and affection for their grand kids. This means at times we can be quite annoying as we tell our tales and fill in details that are essentially of little interest to anyone outside of the immediate family. That does not deter us, however, because we have grit and determination. Yes, we will admit that we love our kids, their wives, and the offspring they have given to us.

However, there’s something very special about your children and grandchildren coming to know Christ as their personal Savior and Lord. If you know anything at all about what this means, then you are aware that this decision to call on the name of the Lord is the most important one any person can ever make. It’s inconceivably more important than making good grades or being able to attend a famous university. It’s vastly more important than being popular or being a performer or athlete. While some of these and many others are noble pursuits, they are nothing compared to having one’s name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Why? It’s a matter of eternal life and where they will be when they pass from this life to the next. Jesus said that one day those who belong to Him would be where He is, forever and ever, Amen. (see John Chapter 14)

We were able to participate in answering questions and praying with our own children as they worked through making this decision. We saw all three of them confess Christ and follow Him as an act of obedience in water baptism. We’ve witnessed two of our daughters-in-law as they were baptized. The other one was already a baptized believer when she came into our family. Thus far, we’ve been able to attend the baptisms of six of our grandchildren as a testimony of their salvation and we have our twins who will be baptized in the near future. We look forward to seeing our entire family saved before we leave this life and make our way home, God willing.

The photos are of our Kyleigh and Lexie from last Sunday. My youngest son expressed his humbled heart in talking about seeing his wife saved, and then baptized on Mother's Day 2007, and now this year, his girls being baptized on Mother's Day 2008. He said he knew he didn’t deserve to be blessed but God had done it anyway. That’s why it's called grace. And, that’s why God deserves the honor and glory for these young ladies who are now His very own children. I know exactly how Rodney feels. How about every single day I draw breath here on the planet? I told him that his response reminded me of a promise God made to Israel as recorded in Deuteronomy 28. Verse 1-2 says this: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:…” I heard a preacher talking about this text and how God often tracks us down to bring His blessings upon us. I've always been intrigued by the thought of blessings hunting us down. Thank God that while we do not always fulfill our obedience to Him as we should, He is always faithful and good to us!

During a business luncheon one day, a high-level management type told me that he and his wife were agnostics and they did not want to influence their children either for or against a belief in God. He said they wanted their children to be able to make that decision at the proper age, on their own. I told him that no matter how hard they tried not to influence the kids, they most likely would follow the beliefs of their parents. This couple certainly did not see life through the prism of truth that we do. We are not neutral in our desire to see our family become heaven bound. We pray about it every day because we see handing down our faith as one of the duties God has entrusted us with. May He find us faithful in doing our best to not only talk about the message of Christ but to live it as an example to others, especially to our family. Join us in thanking Him for Kyleigh’s and Lexie’s life changing decision! Amen. ……More later.