Are you making a Spiritual Trust Fund for your Grandchildren?
By Lillian Penner
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19, 20 (NIV)
Have you thought about the privilege and responsibility we have to pass on our spiritual legacy to our children, grandchildren, and future generations, even though we may not have material wealth? Author Jennifer Kennedy Dean shares in her book, The Legacy of Prayer [1], about a Spiritual Trust Fund that will only increase in value.
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- We can leave our descendants a spiritual trust that can never be stolen, squandered, or lost.
- We can lay up a storehouse of imperishable wealth by praying for our grandchildren and future generations.
- Our prayers are deposits in their spiritual trust fund and will be for withdrawals when needed.
Recently, I found a letter in my family archives written by my great-grandfather in Poland to his son in America. In the letter, he wrote that he was praying for his son, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It was a blessing to see in writing that my great-grandfather had invested in my spiritual trust fund before I was born.
Our descendants do not inherit salvation. Nevertheless, we can pray our descendants will live in constant awareness of God’s presence and be firmly established in His Word, preparing their hearts for an opportunity to step into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Proverbs 14:26 tells us, “He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children, it will be a refuge.” We seek the Lord and are laying up treasures for future generations. As we invest in our walk with the Lord and our prayers for our grandchildren and future generations, we invest in eternity.
As grandparents, we are the spiritual link to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. If you are a first-generation believer, you have the honor of beginning a spiritual legacy for future generations.
Our prayers can be a mighty and powerful force for them in this turbulent world. Our prayers are deposits in their spiritual trust fund and will be there for withdrawals when needed. Not like our stock market.
Now isn’t that a great return on investment all of us would enjoy seeing? One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. Psalm 145:4 (NIV)
[1] Jennifer Kennedy Dean, Legacy of Prayer (Birmingham, New Hope Publishers) .p 48, 49
Lillian Penner is the author of Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren in English and Spanish. She is on staff with the Christian Grandparenting Network prayer ministry, developing prayer cards, grandparents@Prayer groups, and the Grandparenting Day of Prayer. She has a passion for praying intentionally for her grandchildren and desires to share that passion with other grandparents. An avid blogger, Lillian breaks into smiles if you ask about her thirteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She and her husband, John, live in Portland, Oregon, where they are active in church ministries. They were both raised in Christian homes and desire to pass their godly heritage to their future generations. She and her husband enjoy traveling, Southern Gospel music but most of all, enjoy spending time with their family.
Feature Photo by Arleen wiese on Unsplash
Our beloved Grandchildren, the world has need of you,—and more as children than as men and women: it needs your innocence, unselfishness, faithful affection, uncontaminated lives. You need also to watch, and pray that you preserve these virtues unstained, and lose them not through contact with the world.
Be blessed, and be a blessing,
Ev. Isaac Otieno