Friday March 19^th-Lois, Eunice-II Tim.1:1-5, Acts 16:1

A Godly heritage

It all started with a grandmother who had come to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior, who then taught it to her daughter and her grandson. 

Lord, I am so thankful for You in my life.  As I have surrendered my life to You, I have come to trust in You.  As I rely on You my faith has increased over the years.  I am so thankful for my mom Lois who has been an example to me and to Timothy.  She has helped me in raising Timothy to be the godly man that he is today.  Lord, it is only through You that we have our salvation.  It is only through You that we can stand firm in our faith.  We rejoice in You seeing Timothy firm in his faith.  He has not wavered since he was young.  Thank You for Your protection on him as he travels and encounters various trials.  Thank You for sending Paul to further counsel and come along side him to encourage him to continue in his faith and stand firm without wavering.  You are the vine and we are your branches as we remain in You and You in us, we will bear much fruit.  For apart from You we can do nothing.  Amen

I was not raised with a Godly heritage but when I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I knew instantly that I was now part of His family.  I have had a lot of great mentors in my life to help me along the way.  How about you?  Do you have mentors who have helped you along the way?  If so let them know today how important they have been in your life to encourage you in your walk with Him. 

 

 

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Lyn

 

“Ok Mother. That’s enough fussing. I have to go,” said Timothy as he grabbed a handful of dried figs for the road. “ I have everything I need and what I don’t, the Lord will provide.” “Yes , yes,” said his mother Eunice, dabbing at her tears with the sleeve of her tunic. “I just wanted to make sure you had enough warm clothes for the trip.” “He’ll be fine,” said the apostle Paul, who was waiting in the doorway. “Eunice you’ve raised a fine young man whose foundation is strong in the Lord. And because of his faith, God will use Timothy in wonderful, amazing ways. It’s never easy to say goodbye, but I know you’ve put your trust in God. So trust Him now.” 

And with that, Timothy kissed Eunice on the cheek and started out the door with Paul. They were to meet Silas, and head out on their next missionary journey. “Goodbye grandmother,” yelled Timothy, who had turned around to wave one last time. Lois, Timothy’s beloved grandmother and pillar of the family’s faith, had joined Eunice in saying farewell. “I’m going to miss that boy,” said Lois. And with a smile on her face added, “We did good with that one.”

“We did do good,” thought Eunice. And not an easy job. For Lystra was a rural Roman colony. There was no synagogue to attend, nor church to worship at. And many in their Jewish community had turned away from Lois when she and Eunice proclaimed Jesus as their Savior. Timothy’s father, a Greek, also didn’t share their beliefs or passion for Jesus. Even so, Eunice and Lois were determined to raise Timothy to know God’s Word, and to be living examples of their faith in the Lord.

Through their Christ loving groundwork, Timothy found his faith, and was growing to be a man of God. He was a well known godly influence, and highly respected by Christians in both Lystra and the surrounding areas. And it was these very Christians who had recommended Paul to lay his hands on Timothy, circumcise him, and call him to join God’s mission. When given the chance, Paul didn’t hesitate. For he had long been impressed with the sincere faith shown by both Eunice and Lois. Furthermore, the apostle had a deep affection for the young Timothy, often referring to him as “my true child in the faith.” 

Still, as proud as she was, the mama’s heart in Eunice ached as she watched Timothy walking away in the distance. “God speed my son,” she whispered. And as she closed the door she heard a little voice in the background ask, “Grandmother Lois does Jesus really love me?” Eunice went into the next room and joined Lois who was sitting by the fire with a group of children nestled at her feet. Her Timothy was in the very best of hands now, and before her were new Timothy’s ready and ripe for God’s Word. Eunice was resolved to share her faith, and give them the same foundation she gave to her son. An unshakable foundation that can be found in God alone! 

(Did you know statistics show that most children first hear about God through a female family member? Lois and Eunice are great  reminders of the responsibility that we as women have in growing up the next generation. When we raise them with a strong foundation in God’s Word, we prepare them for whatever may come their way, and give to them the greatest gift of all, the Good News of Jesus Christ!)

I’d like to take a moment to encourage the women who have accepted the calling of motherhood, and others, who choose to invest time, talents and love into the next generations. I want to encourage you today, because you’re probably not going to get the encouragement or the honor from the secular world. Even Eunice and Lois probably dealt with criticism long ago because Eunice had married an unbelieving Gentile.    

I grew up during the time when women began to burn their bras and demand equal rights in the workforce, and because of this moment, women who continued to choose the role of “home-manager” were often looked upon as lazy, unproductive and often second-class citizens by the women who were out there trying to make strides for women’s rights.   

I occasionally felt the sting of criticism and was made to feel guilty, until one day a very wise “older woman” said to me, “I can’t understand why women would choose to set aside their ‘God-ordained’ calling for one of their own choosing.” I never felt a smidgen of guilt after that.  


Marriage and family are pictures of Christ and the church. As mothers, grandmothers and home-managers we have been giving the ability to invest in the future generations; to pour into them a God-centered, Christ-treasuring worldview. We have been given the right to create an environment of peace; nurtured by Christ’s unconditional love. Our loved ones are able to come home and shut out the world knowing they will be built up, nurtured and loved!  

John Piper puts it this way: “This is a very high and holy and crucial calling that many of you embrace, with little understanding or encouragement from the world. You are the ones who have heard Titus 2:4-5 not as oppressive but as liberating. Paul said to Titus that the older women should “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.” You have heard that calling as a rich, deep and precious calling which confirms your heart’s longings.

You may be wondering why I'm bringing all this up today, well take look with me at 2 Timothy 3:14-15:
“But as for you [Timothy], continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (emphasis mine)

First notice who is Paul talking about in verse 14 when he says, “. . . knowing from whom you leaned it”.  He’s got to be talking about Eunice and Lois, Timothy’s mother and grandmother, for:

Now here is the exciting part!

Verse 14: “But as for you [Timothy], continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed knowing from whom you learned it.” (emphasis mine once more)

I don’t want you to miss this, Paul is saying Timothy one of the ways to strengthen your faith and persevere through tough times is to remember those who introduced you to the word of God and the way of salvation. Remember the godly influence of your mother, and your grandmother.

Hang onto this, ladies! It’s not the world, nor the church, school etc that has been called to make a “godly influence” on the next generation, it’s you!  You’ve been given the ability (calling) to not only influence your children, but countless others who God brings into your life from time to time.

And only God can measure how your influence today will impact future generations through the lives you impact during your lifetime!

Just how cool is that!?