Spiritual "Hand-Me-Downs"

Psalm 103:17-18 “But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children, of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!”

God is so faithful! I love this verse because it’s a promise from God. Obey him, and not only will you be saved, but his salvation will extend down the line from your children to their children and their children and so on. What a blessing!!  

The beginning of this promise starts with the love of the Lord remaining in those who fear him. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” So those that fear the Lord gain the wisdom and understanding of God by studying his word. They also know that the best way to gain the wisdom and knowledge of God is through his son, Jesus. Colossians 2:3 says, “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” This verse is referring to Christ. Jesus came to be a sacrifice for us to be able to have a chance to be born again, but he also came as an example of how God wants us to live and love.

So, this promise is for those that fear God by studying his word. It is for those that obey his commands, those that are faithful to his rules, and those that live like Jesus. Living this way allows for us to be God’s people and have salvation. We will take on the spirits of God and we will hand these spirits, along with salvation, down to our children. The spirits of God are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Now, if we are not living the way God intended, what are we passing down to our children. There is another way to look at this. Do your parents live like Jesus? Do they obey the commands of God and possess the spirits of God only? If the answer is no, then you know you have some work to do. You have taken on the spiritual “hand-me-downs” of your parents and their parents and their parents. You get to be the one to turn this around for this generation and the ones to come! You can fight the spirits you were given and focus on living like Jesus. You can take on God’s spirits and live a happy peaceful life and watch your children do the same. You can change the course of life for yourself and your lineage just by your choices you start making right now. That is incredible!

Study how Jesus lived and how he had patience with everything and every situation. Study how he forgave to keep his peace. Study how he always put others before himself and sacrificed all his emotions. Study how he had zero fear. Study how he saw children as the future and the true blessings of God. Study how he said we should learn from the ways of children.

Make the changes to fill your closet with the best of the best “hand-me-downs”. Picture a whole family tree of love and peace and happiness and prosperity that all started with you making the choice to love Jesus and live just like him.