Recognize Your Heritage

I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.

Though the Word of God teaches us about greatness, being greater than another should never be your dream. You can desire to advance or surpass previous generations in your exploits, but don’t make it about greatness. Leverage on heritage.

For example, the children of Israel could never imagine or pray to be greater than Abraham, Isaac or Jacob; their greatness was dependent on the greatness of these patriarchs. Jacob couldn’t have imagined being greater than Isaac; he recognized that his blessing came from being Isaac’s son.

Likewise, Isaac honoured Abraham as his father, knowing that his own greatness stemmed from being the son of Abraham. In Exodus 3:15, the Bible says, “And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob became His memorial forever.

The Lord Jesus is another example. God had promised David that his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Read how Jesus was identified in Matthew 1:1: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

So, even if you’ve achieved higher educational success than your biological father, for example, remember that his role in bringing you into existence makes him greater than you. As great as you are, you’re his product, you came from him, so that makes him greater than you for you to honour him the way God wants you to.

Recognizing this principle is vital. It’s one of the reasons we have great honour for those whom God sent before us in ministry, because without them, we wouldn’t have what we have today. Through them, the Scriptures have been preserved through the ages; they diligently protected and passed down these precious teachings—the Scriptures that guide our lives. So, we remain grateful for what was done for us, leveraging on our heritage.