I got to thinking about my heritage the other day. Like we often do, my brother and sister and our spouses gathered together for fellowship, food, and fun stories of our past…our heritage. We call ourselves the Super Six, primarily because of that heritage. Part of the evidence is faithfulness in marriage. We pointed out to our waiter when we dined together recently that among our three couples are 167 years of faithful marriage to our original spouses. Most are amazed. There aren’t too many examples like that. That was part of what we learned from our parents and grandparents. Our folks and ancestors beyond them left quite a legacy of faith and faithfulness. Not perfect…but they sought to please God.

What is a heritage? Someone explained it this way:

Heritage is a person’s unique, inherited sense of family identity: the values, traditions, culture, and artifacts handed down by previous generations.

We are a product of those who have come before us. I see that in our family. My parents were both musical. And we kids were given lots of opportunities to develop in that area of life. Mom and Dad both loved the Lord and were faithful to serve Him through the church. All three of us children have been active in church ministry in various ways. It’s part of our heritage.

Dr. Henry Blackaby said a godly heritage is a gift from the Lord.

“As Christians, we ought never to overlook our heritage. An awareness of our Christian heritage helps us to understand our identity and gives us a sense of where God is leading us.”

It doesn’t take much reading of the Bible to see that not every saint in God’s service had a sterling heritage. I’m sure if I dug back into our ancestors, I would find some bad folks. But somewhere along the way, there was a change. Someone decided to follow the Lord’s ways rather than simply repeat their parents’ lifestyles or values. Someone changed the heritage of those who would follow after them by going God’s way rather than man’s.

Blackaby talked about the value of that heritage…and the Lord’s purpose for us because of His gift.

“Do you see the full picture of God’s redemptive work? God’s plan involves you, just as it has included each Christian throughout the centuries. God wants you to participate in His continuing work to redeem a lost world. Your obedience today will provide a legacy of faithfulness to the generations that follow.”

God’s Word talks of the importance of recognizing our foundation in life. Isaiah passed that godly wisdom on to the people of his generation.

Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance—
all who seek the Lord!
Consider the rock from which you were cut,
the quarry from which you were mined.

Isaiah 51:1 NLT

So… what if you don’t have a godly heritage? What if those who came before you in your family did not live lives pleasing to the Lord? You can be the one who changes that for all who follow…your children and others who see your life. You can redeem the past and present a God-honoring heritage for those who follow you.

I’m reminded of the words of that Steve Green song.

“Let all who come behind us find us faithful.”

God’s best,