The Heirlooms of a Christian Home
Angela B.
Trenholm
March 2006
Part I
The Heirloom of Salvation
Treasured
Heirlooms
Lilacs and
Butterflies Spectacular 2006
By
faith Noah,
being
warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house;
by
the which he condemned the world
and
became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Hebrews 11:7
Do you have a treasured
possession/heirloom that was given you by someone dear to your heart?
Maybe it was passed down through several generations, or maybe it’s a
recent gift, or perhaps you have a sentimental object you hope to pass on
to your own children, grandchildren, treasured friend…
A necklace? A photo? A
ring? ….
Doesn’t the mere thought
of it invoke precious memories, and by passing it on to someone else, is
it not the same goal? There is nothing wrong with keeping mementoes around
as reminders. We are forgetful people and those simple objects are an easy
way to jog our memories and to help maintain special bonds.
My husband has a
beautiful, large, cobalt blue cup that his mother gave him. It is trimmed
in gold and emblazoned with the official insignia of his favorite car
manufacturer. When she died August 2004, he took it out of common use and
placed it on a shelf as a reminder of the precious woman who gave him
physical life. The cup isn’t really valuable, but the memories it triggers
are priceless. I am sure he hopes to pass it on as an heirloom to one of
our children some day, and I am sure it will be precious to them too as
they love their grandmother.
The Bible has many
references to heirs in the physical and spiritual sense, but for the
purpose of this lesson, let’s focus on the spiritual applications. As you
read, keep the following in mind.
What kind of spiritual heirlooms
do you want to leave behind for your
family?
Heirs to the Promise:
And
if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise. Galatians 3:29
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath… Hebrews 6:17
Heirs According to the
Hope of Eternal Life:
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to
the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:7
Heirs to the Grace of
Life:
Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving
honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs
together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
1Peter 3:7
Heir of Righteousness:
By
faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with
fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith. Hebrews 11:7
Here is the text that
really struck me as I prepared this lesson.
….prepared an ark to
the saving of his house…
Noah spent 120 years
focused on one task: Building the ark to save his family from the flood.
He endured ridicule from all around him, yet he pressed on, and to quote a
familiar saying, we know “the rest of the story”. Not only did he save his
family, but the Bible also says he “heir of the righteousness which is
by faith.”
Part II
The Heirloom of Proper Training
It is important to spend
some play time with our children, keep a clean house, make sure the
schooling is in order, but it is so easy to get so side-tracked on these
other things that we sometimes forget the main goal we should be focusing
on: that each of our children be “an heir of the righteousness which is
by faith.”
We cannot see our
children’s heart’s for the certainty of their salvation, but we can put a
full effort into making sure they have been taught and trained in the Word
of God.
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8
And
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and
when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 6:7
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4
And
thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy
gates: Deuteronomy 11:20
I would love have verses
displayed all over the house, but have never been able to invest in
frames. I’m beginning to think that even a piece of paper would do fine,
especially since that’s all they had in OT times anyway. Better some than
none! The more we can have God’s Word before our children, the better.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it. Proverbs 22:6
Part III
The Heirloom of Time
Time Together:
I did not grow up in a Christian home, but my parents did
teach me some important truths about families needing to spend time
together. We went camping and played lots of games growing up, and when I
look back, those special times smooth over some of the very difficult and
hurtful times.
As I watch our children
grow into their teens now, I know I have not spent as much personal time
with them as I should have. I cannot change the past, but I can strive now
to do all I can to build precious memories that will become a storehouse
of heirlooms to smooth over any of the mistakes I have made along the way.
So as I write this, do not let Satan convince you that I have not been
through this. I am going through it now, and I struggle daily to get the
right balance. It is my hope that I can be a help and encouragement to
others struggling with this.
Time in
God’s Service:
As children of God, we
are commanded to be witnesses and help draw others to the Saviour. Satan
would deceive you into believing that being a stay at home Mom (SAHM) and
a soulwinner do not go hand in hand.
Tell me, why not?
Soulwinning time can be
the greatest family time you have ever had! Imagine working together to
see that bus kid (and family) get saved, or your husband’s boss, the
neighbor, the sweet little old lady or man down the street!
What a glorious
spiritual heirloom to leave to our children!
I understand, it is hard
to get everyone gathered up for church soulwinning and it doesn’t often
seem to work, but how about bringing your children grocery shopping
instead of leaving them home with Dad? 12 years ago, I would have Sarah (2
yr old) in the cart and would pull the twins stroller. For a few years, I
used that to God’s advantage as I realized something very important: Twins
attract attention! So I used that as a witnessing tool too. But then I got
tired, lazy, backslidden really, and for several years, did everything I
could to go shopping alone to have some “quiet” time. I hated taking them
out as I had had “my fill” of “dragging” wee ones around trying to get
groceries done by myself. I realize now how wrong I was and now I love
having my girls with me. They are thrilled to be able to hand out Gospel
tracts and will now witness as well, even to those whom adults would
sometimes cringe at. I’m saddened by the memories of my eldest, Sarah,
begging me as a small child to go hand out tracts, but felt we did not
have the time. I had lots of time, but I was being selfish with it. When
my precious children are gone, I will have more “quiet time” than I will
ever want.
The lesson, in particular
the last part, has been a big eye opener to me of some of the areas I was
lacking in and, with the Lord’s help, I hope to rectify many errors. I
hope it has been a challenge to you as well.
But be ye doers of the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James 1:22
I re-itterate the
question given:
What kind of spiritual heirlooms
do you want to leave behind for your
family?
This last
thought does not fall into my outline, but I know I can’t leave it out.
Are we preparing an ark to the saving of our
homes,
or are we leaving them out to be swept away
by the flood of corruption and ungodliness that
this world has to offer?
Angela Trenholm
March 2006
Study Tools
