part of a line

Now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. (Galatians 3:29)

There were people who were instrumental in bringing me to the Lord and in putting me into ministry. And in turn, I have put people into ministry. And they have done the same, as will the people they have touched.

There are people who brought you to the Lord, and hopefully, you have done the same, as will the ones you touch.

All of us are part of a line. And that line begins with Abraham. If we are children of God, we are all spiritual descendants of a man who lived during the stone age more than five thousand years ago. He lived in a country far away, spoke a language that would be unintelligible to us, wore clothing we would consider strange and lived a lifestyle that we would find truly alien. The only thing he has in common with us is his humanity and his faith in God.

Yet he is our spiritual father. The Bible says that, as the children of God, we are his children too. Just as God is our heavenly father, we trace all of our physical spiritual roots back to Abraham.

And as he was faithful, so we strive to be faithful. The Bible tells us that his faith was what saved him, and it is that faith that was handed down to us.

Our service to God is not measured in things, in commands kept, in boxes checked. It is measured in faith. When we believe and have faith in his ability to save, we are saved. We are his.

My father died last year in February. He was probably the most influential in bringing me to a knowledge of God. He had his failings and his blind spots, but so do we all. My children see mine and their children will see theirs. It is the way life goes.

In that same way we see the faults of Abraham. He had trouble trusting God at times and twice lied to save his life. But at the same time, his acts of faith were so strong. And he was known as the father of all who believe (Romans 4:16).

When we come to Jesus, we stand in that line of faithful people. My relatives were all active in their churches going back a long ways. Sister Ella’s were the same, I suppose. There is a line both of us come from that is long and faithful.

Of course, not every relative followed Jesus. Some didn’t and some won’t. But in general, we have.

And it is that line, that huge crowd of witnesses that Hebrews 12 mentions, those who have come before us and stand waiting for us in heaven, that keeps us going strong.

I do not want to let them down. Neither do I want to let my Father down.

So I remain strong and in that line of faithful and I remain faithful. And I serve God.