"You have given me the heritage
of those who fear Your name."
Psalm 61:5
When Joe Tarakjian’s surgery left him in a wheelchair,
he kept occupied by exploring his family tree. He studied
genealogical sites, found relatives online, and he followed
every lead. He learned that his great-grandparents had fled
genocide by traveling from Armenia to Syria, then to France
and America. “It was so gratifying to meet a
90-plus-year-old
relative who you never spoke to before and you hear them
light up when talking about your own mother,” he said.
Those who know Christ have another family tree, the lineage of
people who led us to faith. We are spiritual descendants of the
message of the apostles and of the Pentecost converts in the
book of Acts. The testimony of Jesus has crossed the
generations to reach us.
Perhaps we can’t trace this spiritual lineage very far until we can
inspect the archives in heaven, but maybe you know who led you
to Christ. Maybe you can find out who led that person and the
one
before. We have two thousand years of martyrs, heroes, servants
behind us and future generations before us. What a heritage
and
what a blessing! Let’s rejoice in that today.
"I am deeply indebted for the godly heritage
I receive, and I pray that it will be passed on."
James Draper