Saints Who Have Gone On To Glory

Week 21

Who are these saints who have gone on to glory? Hebrews 11:1-2 tells us that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. It is by faith that we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews describes the ancients who believed in God and the promise he made even though they never saw it come to pass. But then we move into Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”

I was praying one day and thanking God for my ancestors who were Christians and had passed their beliefs on to their children and grandchildren down the line to myself. It just struck me as wonderful that those who had gone before me left me such a remarkable legacy. As I was offering my prayer of thanks, I saw those ancestors on the other side of heaven waiting for me to join them. I remember thinking that those saints who had gone on before me were also waiting for me to join them. They were probably cheering me on from heaven. Watching and waiting. I had a vision of being surrounded by them. They were before me in heaven and behind me as my ancestors and those who passed on the heritage of Christianity.

In Exodus 20:4-6 God himself makes a promise. “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

Faith is a personal thing, just because my grandmother was a Christian doesn’t mean that I will become one. But I have a greater chance of being a Christian because of what the Lord says in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your forehead. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.”

Having Godly parents will give us the foundation on which we can build our own faith walk. They will teach us and instruct us, but it is up to us as individuals to come to a personal knowledge of Christ Jesus. 

Many people come to this personal knowledge through believing friends, in-laws, neighbors, co-workers. It doesn’t have to be a parent or grandparent who shows the way. I am also a firm believer that people don’t come to Christ unless someone prays for them. Another argument for the generational faith. 

So, who prayed for you to come to the knowledge of Christ? I know that my grandma prayed for me and I also know that my mother prayed. Who are you praying for? Who do you know that doesn’t come from a godly background and needs to know about Christ? We can actually pray people into the Kingdom of God. 

Whenever I think of my Grandma Fisher, I get an image of her praying for me from the time I was born, as I grew up and even today I picture her looking down from heaven and praying for me to continue on the right path.

I have done and will continue to do the same thing for my children, grandchildren and maybe even some day great grandchildren. The heritage that I have received from my own parents is important to me. Eternity is something that I want to experience with all my family.

It was amazing to me that I had a great grandfather six times removed, who wrote down his testimony. What a legacy he has shared with each of his children, grandchildren and those who knew him personally. 

In writing this book, I hope that I am sharing my testimony with the generations that will follow me. That as they learn more about me through the written word, they would also learn more about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

If we think about those who have shared Christ with us, we probably all have memories of the kind of person they were, or are. There was a dear lady who was our pastors wife. She taught a group of us who were quite young at the time. We were mostly young married couples with very small children. I know that at times, she was probably totally frustrated with us, but she persevered. Every Sunday morning she taught us from the scripture.

She is the one who opened my eyes to the old testament. Before that time, I hadn’t really thought that the old testament could add anything of relevance to my life. It seemed so outdated. I learned so much from her teaching and she taught us from her own life experiences. That is extremely important. Just knowing the words of the Bible isn’t enough. There have to be examples. We have to be able to  apply the word of God to our daily lives in practical ways.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. 

I want to be that sort of Christian. One who is remembered as a disciple of Christ. A letter from him. An ambassador on this earth always doing what Christ would have me do. What is the best way for this to happen? We have to know the word of God and have it engraved on our hearts so that no matter what the situation we find ourselves in, the Spirit will remind us of one of the promises of God. These promises are important to help us get through the difficult times.

As I go through my daily life there are times when I am sure that someone is praying me through. Today was one of those kind of days for me. I woke up tired. I hadn’t slept well all night, I was having some physical pain and I knew there was no possible way I could call in sick. I had to get the job done today. What was I going to do?

The Holy Spirit reminded me that I am a child of God. I asked the blood of Jesus to cover me and I asked Jesus to guide me through the day. The day turned out better than I could have imagined. I know longer felt sick, I was able to concentrate on the task at hand and the day went very quickly. I know that it was partly due to my persevering, but also I had to throw off the things that would hinder me. Pain, self-pity, these things had to go. I am sure that as I threw these things away, there was a cheering section of saints watching and applauding me. The saints that have gone on before me.

Heavenly Father,

I give you praise and I am so very thankful for my ancestors who were obedient in sharing the gospel message. Thank you for diligent teachers, for loving friends and for godly parents and grandparents. I am so blessed and as a result, I choose to be a blessing to others. Show me how to share the good news, give me opportunities to be a living letter and pass on the message that I have received. May you be glorified in my life and may I pass on this heritage to my children and grandchildren. In the name that is eternal and everlasting, Jesus. Amen