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by Kevin Pauley
A Davidic hymn. I exalt You, my God the King, and praise Your name forever and ever. I will praise You every day; I will honor Your name forever and ever. Yahweh is great and is highly praised; His greatness is unsearchable. One generation will declare Your works to the next and will proclaim Your mighty acts. I will speak of Your glorious splendor and Your wonderful works. They will proclaim the power of Your awe-inspiring works, and I will declare Your greatness. - Psalm 145:1-6 HCSB
I have the tremendous privilege of coming from a long line of God’s children. Many in my family have been redeemed by the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. My father has been a missionary pastor my entire life. My mother served with him on the mission field in brutally difficult conditions. My paternal grandmother is a godly woman who has served the church for decades. Her husband, my biological grandfather, was a pastor who gave up his position in order to serve migrant workers. Each of their four sons (my father included) has served in full time ministry.
Believe me! Going to one of our family reunions is kind of like going to a preacher’s conference! My mom and dad will share their latest academic endeavors. My uncle Bud will pull out his Bible and drill me on eschatology. My cousin Gary (also a pastor of a non-denominational church) will discuss the latest in Christian writers and the current trends in American Christianity.
What a privilege! What an honor to have been placed in a family that has so much of God’s grace extended to it! What a shame if it ended with me! The psalmist proclaimed, “One generation will declare your works to the next.”
A fundamental principle in the Scriptures teaches “to whom much is given much is required.”[1] I have been given so much I don’t know that I will ever get out from under the burden of responsibility! It is a wonderful burden though, don’t you think?
I get to tell my kids how awesome God is. I get to relate how He rescued us from those who sought our death in Chad. I get to remind them of how He cared for our family in spite of the general poverty that usually comes to pastors of small rural churches and migrant workers. I get to discuss with them the beauties and wonders of the world I have seen as our mission work carried us from place to place.
The Lord has blessed me by saving each of my five children. I pray that He blesses me even more by requiring full-time ministry from at least one of them. My prayer is that like the Rechabites, my family will never fail to have a man to always stand before Yahweh.[2] May God be blessed by our intergenerational praise forever!
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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