“Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and rebellious generation! How long will I be with you and put up with you? Bring your son here.” Luke 9:41 HCSB
It seems to me that there was something in the dad’s life that had caused the boy to be demon-possessed. The generation was rebellious and unbelieving and the father was part of that generation.
“Then Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can ’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.”
Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”
Mark 9:23-24 HCSB
In Mark’s account, we find that the father had some unbelief but was believing enough to come to Jesus. we don’t know how the father was rebellious but we can see that he was at least unbelieving.
The sins we commit in secrete can be sins our children commit in the open. The secrete deeds for God we commit can be the deeds our children do openly for God? What kind of legacy are we passing on?
“Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: Yahweh — Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.”
Exodus 34:6-7 HCSB
Thank God for the generations before us because we are living in the blessings of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus. It has only been about 100 generations since Adam (https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/genealogy/how-many-human-generations-are-there-from-adam-until-today/)
But repent from the sins of your great grandfather and every generation after. Their sins may still be chasing you around.
“Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us; Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake.”
Psalms 79:8-9 NASB
In Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield, He traced out two genealogies, one of a notorious bad guy and a preacher in the same generation. The notorious bad guy’s legacy included a lot of bad guys and very few godly people. While the legacy the pastor left behind was filled with Godly people with few bad people. I wish I could remember more details but I gave the book away after I was done with it. So if anyone has read it and can send me a reply I would appreciate it.
What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? If your life has been filled with past mistakes, blunders, and failures then today can be a new day to start a new pattern to leave a lasting positive legacy.
“Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.” For He says: I heard you in an acceptable time, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.”
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 HCSB
“This is what the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy One, says to one who is despised, to one abhorred by people, to a servant of rulers: “Kings will see and stand up, and princes will bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel — and He has chosen you.” This is what the Lord says: I will answer you in a time of favor, and I will help you in the day of salvation. I will keep you, and I will appoint you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to make them possess the desolate inheritances, saying to the prisoners: Come out, and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves. They will feed along the pathways, and their pastures will be on all the barren heights. They will not hunger or thirst, the scorching heat or sun will not strike them; for their compassionate One will guide them, and lead them to springs of water.”
Isaiah 49:7-10 HCSB
God is near and ready to help, bless, and prosper you, because you matter that much to God!
“Am I a God who is only near” — this is the Lord’s declaration — “and not a God who is far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him? ” — the Lord’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? ” — the Lord’s declaration.”
Jeremiah 23:23-24 HCSB
“The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit.”
Psalms 34:16-18 HCSB
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