Generational Influence Series

Ruth 4:13-22

A Happy family CAN influence the world for generations

WHILE ONLY GOD CAN GRANT THE GIFT OF LIFE, YOU CAN ALWAYS BE BLESSING!

Listen there are people who always look for faults to comply about, but they never seem to find the time to correct their own problems. Listen, we should not be a people of false praise. But there are so many good things

Naomi could have called it quits after losing her husband and boys. Ruth could have called it quits because she was not the right race. She came from a lineage of incest. But instead of letting their past define, they chose to have God’s grace define them! They chose God’s blessing and to pass on God’s blessing.

WHEN YOU LET GO OF THE LIFE YOU WISH YOU HAD AND EMBRACE THE BLESSINGS GOD GIVES YOU, YOU WILL FIND THE PATH TO HAPPINESS.

He has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts . . . 2 Corinthians 1:22 (NLT)

You are not defined by your feelings. You are not defined by the opinions of others. You are not defined by your circumstances. You are not defined by your successes or failures. You are not defined by the car you drive, or the money you make, or the house you say you own (even though the bank really owns it).

You are defined by God and God alone. He identifies you as his own (2 Corinthians 1:22).

The thing is, if you don’t know who you are, then you are vulnerable to other people telling you who you are. But the concrete, solid, gospel truth is that you are who God says you are and no one else has a vote in the matter.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE INFLUENCE ONE GODLY FAMILY CAN HAVE ON THE WORLD.

At 16,000,000 Jews in a 7.6 billion people on the earth today, they comprise 0.2% of the world population. But they have had an extraordinary influence in your world.

At least 197 Jews and people of half- or three-quarters-Jewish ancestry have been awarded the Nobel Prize,1 accounting for 22% of all individual recipients worldwide between 1901 and 2016, and constituting 36% of all US recipients2 during the same period.3 In the scientific research fields of Chemistry, Economics, Physics, and Physiology/Medicine, the corresponding world and US percentages are 26% and 39%, respectively. Among women laureates in the four research fields, the Jewish percentages (world and US) are 33% and 50%, respectively. Of organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 22% were founded principally by Jews or by people of half-Jewish descent. Since the turn of the century (i.e., since the year 2000), Jews have been awarded 25% of all Nobel Prizes and 27% of those in the scientific research fields. (Jews currently make up approximately 0.2% of the world's population and 2% of the US population.)

A husband and wife who walked by faith and, consequently, left a legacy far beyond anything they could have imagined, lived in the early 1700s in colonial America. Their names were Jonathan and Sarah Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards felt God's call to become a minister. He and his young bride began a pastorate in a small congregation. During the years that followed, he wrote many sermons, prayers, and books, and was influential in beginning the Great Awakening. Together they produced eleven children who grew into adulthood. Sarah was a partner in her husband's ministry, and he sought her advice regarding sermons and church matters. They spent time talking about these things together, and, when their children were old enough, the parents included them in the discussions.

The effects of the Edwards's lives have been far-reaching, but the most measurable results of their faithfulness to God's call is found through their descendants. Elizabeth Dodds records a study done by A. E. Winship in 1900 in which he lists a few of the accomplishments of the 1,400 Edwards descendants he was able to find:

• 100 lawyers and a dean of a law school

• 80 holders of public office

• 66 physicians and a dean of a medical school

• 65 professors of colleges and universities

• 30 judges

• 13 college presidents

• 3 mayors of large cities

• 3 governors of states

• 3 United States senators

• 1 controller of the United States Treasury

• 1 Vice President of the United States

What kind of legacy will you and your mate leave? Will it be lasting? Will it be imperishable and eternal? Or will you leave behind only tangible items—buildings, money, and/or possessions?

SELF WILL ALWAYS DETOUR YOUR FROM DEVOTION AND DISCIPLINE.

STEADINESS IN LIFE AND FAITH WILL BLESS UNTOLD FUTURE GENERATIONS.

Living a Life Worthy of Legacy

1. Fear the Lord and obey Him. Your legacy begins in your heart, in your relationship with God. Psalm 112:1-2 reads: "How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed."