The Legacy of Yes
When I was growing up, I often listened to old-timey preachers sharing their incredible testimonies of feeling the call of God on their lives and answering it. Every testimony felt like it could have been pulled straight out of a movie. There was one story that particularly stayed with me. It was about a preacher who used to be an alcoholic and had hit rock bottom. One night, in complete desperation, he pulled over on the side of the road and gave his life to God in a roadside ditch. God radically changed his life, and he became a pastor, dedicating his life to preaching the Gospel and sharing his testimony. Every time I heard that story, I felt chills run down my arms because of how amazing God was.
As a kid, I always wished that I had an incredible testimony like that. A story that would move people to tears thinking about all that God had done and could do. My story, however, was different. I grew up as the youngest child in a pastor's home. My dad was not loud and charismatic; he was soft and kind. I never missed a single church function from the time I was born. Regardless of the occasion - Sunday School, Sunday Morning Service, Sunday Evening Service, Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, Vacation Bible School, Church Camp, Revival Meetings, and Saturday cleaning days, I was at the church sometimes more than I was at home. When I was six, sitting in Children's Church watching the - you guessed it, puppet ministry, I chose to give my life to Christ. It was a Sunday morning that would forever change my life, but it felt like just another Sunday morning.
JOURNAL: There are times that the enemy attempts to downplay or make us forget the amazing things God has done in our lives. Take a moment to remember and write down some moments when you saw God move.
There is a story in Scripture of a young man who made a decision to be obedient to God, and it forever changed his life. It also carried out a legacy that would have a direct impact on the coming Messiah.
1 Samuel 3:1-21 NLT
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” Samuel replied. “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. Samuel was just a boy when he encountered God, but he was obedient. His obedience made a way for God to use him. When he grew up, he was the one God used to anoint King David as King, but it all started with a simple “yes.”
What God began to reveal to me over the years was that every “yes” given to God carries the same beauty and legacy for God. My salvation, on that Sunday morning at the First Free Will Baptist Church in Checotah, Oklahoma, was a picture of God's grace, just like those amazing stories I would hear from the revival speakers. The beauty of my story, however, was that my “yes” was preceded by the “yes” of my parents. My prayer is that my sons will give their hearts to God and continue a legacy that was started years before me. The importance of being obedient to God's calling is not just about how we do it. The impact we have when we say “yes” to God is one that carries on far beyond what we can even know, but it all starts with us saying “yes.”
JOURNAL: Legacy is such a powerful thing. Take a moment to write down some of the spiritual legacy you have received from someone who has gone before you. Then write out the legacy you want to leave behind.
PRAYER: God, never let us grow tired of Your amazing grace in our lives. Let Your goodness be a reminder every morning. From the smallest “yes" to the boldest stand in obedience for You, let it be a legacy pointing all we encounter to You.
As a kid, I always wished that I had an incredible testimony like that. A story that would move people to tears thinking about all that God had done and could do. My story, however, was different. I grew up as the youngest child in a pastor's home. My dad was not loud and charismatic; he was soft and kind. I never missed a single church function from the time I was born. Regardless of the occasion - Sunday School, Sunday Morning Service, Sunday Evening Service, Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, Vacation Bible School, Church Camp, Revival Meetings, and Saturday cleaning days, I was at the church sometimes more than I was at home. When I was six, sitting in Children's Church watching the - you guessed it, puppet ministry, I chose to give my life to Christ. It was a Sunday morning that would forever change my life, but it felt like just another Sunday morning.
JOURNAL: There are times that the enemy attempts to downplay or make us forget the amazing things God has done in our lives. Take a moment to remember and write down some moments when you saw God move.
There is a story in Scripture of a young man who made a decision to be obedient to God, and it forever changed his life. It also carried out a legacy that would have a direct impact on the coming Messiah.
1 Samuel 3:1-21 NLT
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!” “Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did. Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.” Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” Samuel replied. “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. Samuel was just a boy when he encountered God, but he was obedient. His obedience made a way for God to use him. When he grew up, he was the one God used to anoint King David as King, but it all started with a simple “yes.”
What God began to reveal to me over the years was that every “yes” given to God carries the same beauty and legacy for God. My salvation, on that Sunday morning at the First Free Will Baptist Church in Checotah, Oklahoma, was a picture of God's grace, just like those amazing stories I would hear from the revival speakers. The beauty of my story, however, was that my “yes” was preceded by the “yes” of my parents. My prayer is that my sons will give their hearts to God and continue a legacy that was started years before me. The importance of being obedient to God's calling is not just about how we do it. The impact we have when we say “yes” to God is one that carries on far beyond what we can even know, but it all starts with us saying “yes.”
JOURNAL: Legacy is such a powerful thing. Take a moment to write down some of the spiritual legacy you have received from someone who has gone before you. Then write out the legacy you want to leave behind.
PRAYER: God, never let us grow tired of Your amazing grace in our lives. Let Your goodness be a reminder every morning. From the smallest “yes" to the boldest stand in obedience for You, let it be a legacy pointing all we encounter to You.
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