2 Timothy 1:1-18

Heritage

When I was a kid, and into my early teens, I remember distinctly being disappointed that my dad was a pastor. He worked bi-vocational essentially his entire ministry. While the church usually ran over a hundred in attendance it was decidedly blue collar. In fact, a few factory workers were looked at as being the more well off financially in the church. I thought, “I my dad worked at a good factory job he could help me get on at the plant.” I didn’t know much.

Now that I am in my early sixties and have over 29 years in full time ministry I see a very different picture. It isn’t just that my upbringing prepared me for full time ministry. More than any kind of vocational calling my upbringing prepared me for life. The knowledge of the Word that was instilled in me growing up and the examples of godly lives I saw in my parents combined for a heritage that money cannot possibly buy. I have some serious appreciation for what a huge deposit was granted to me even though I didn’t appreciate it at the time.

I think of this each time I read verse five: I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. (My grandfather on my mother’s side was also a full time pastor.) Timothy had a head start that you can’t order online at Amazon or anywhere else. So did I. And so did some of you.

Some of you did not have such a heritage, but do not despair. Timothy’s grandmother Lois didn’t have it either. Lois passed it on to Eunice and they both passed it on to Timothy. You may not have a high paying job. You may not be in full time ministry. You may consider that you have very little to leave to your children, but that isn’t true. It doesn’t take money or even talent to instill a good deposit in your children. All it takes is the desire to do so, combined with the willingness to live an upright life, a genuine love, and the help of the Holy Spirit. All of these are available to us. May we make them available to those who follow us as well.