CAC LIVING WATER DEVOTIONAL FOR JUNE 15, 2022 : TOPIC – WHAT LEGACIES?

1 NIV:This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

2 NIV:“Go to the Rekabite family and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the house of the Lord and give them wine to drink.”

3 NIV:So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons—the whole family of the Rekabites.

4 NIV:I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.

5 NIV:Then I set bowls full of wine and some cups before the Rekabites and said to them, “Drink some wine.”

6 NIV:But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.

7 NIV:Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the land where you are nomads.’

8 NIV:We have obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine

9 NIV:or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops.

10 NIV:We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything our forefather Jehonadab commanded us.

11 NIV:But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, ‘Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.’ So we have remained in Jerusalem.”

12 NIV:Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:

13 NIV:“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the Lord.

14 NIV:‘Jehonadab son of Rekab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefather’s command. But I have spoken to you again and again, yet you have not obeyed me.

Memorise: NIV:But they replied, “We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jehonadab son of Rekab gave us this command: ‘Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine.

(Jeremiah 35v6)

Whatever we do today has far-reaching effects on posterity, most especially, an abuse or assult on elderly people, as today commemorates World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Your words and works would outlive you. However, would the effects be helping or hurting the future generations? Sadly, the decisions some of our forebears took are directly negatively telling on us. This cuts across almost all spheres of life.

Legacies are inheritances. They are sum total of values, customs and practices that the present generation passes on to the upcoming one. Today’s text is instructive enough. The Reccabites father, Jonadab, had a peculiar encounter with God, and he determined to sustain the encounter by passing his convictions to his children. They wouldn’t default, even when the countray order came from the revered Prophet Jeremiah (Jer.35v1ff)!

What legacies are you leaving behind for your biological and spiritual children? Would you be credited or cursed after you have transited to the Great beyond? God was entrusting a blessed generation in Abraham’s hand because, He knew Abraham would give his descendants a good legacy (Gen.18v18-19). And true to God’s attestation, Abraham groomed Isaac, who also passed it on to Jacob, who later became Israel.

Whatever we do today, becomes history tomorrow. There was a man who used to be chained smoker. He used to send his boy to buy the cigarette. After his demise, the boy added hemps and cocaine to the cigarette he smoked-bad legacy.

Our church patriarchs/matriarchs have passed unto is godly legacies. Are we not gradually replacing them with the civilised and modernised methods? Hope we aren’t removing the ancient landmark? If it continues like this, what are we going to pass on to the upcoming generation? May we not be guilty on the judgement Day, in Jesus name!

1. Lord, I refuse to be accused of passing the wrong legacies to my successors, in Jesus name.

2. Lord, help me not to destroy the godly legacies You pass on to me through my precursors.

3. Lord, assist our church leaders to solidly stand by, and promote our cherished God-given legacies.

Extra Reading for Today: Psalms 20-25

HAVE A LOVELY MID-WEEK AS YOU STAY SAFE ….. SHALOM!