Grandparent's Day

Genesis 48:1-4
¹One day not long after this, word came to Joseph, “Your father is failing rapidly.” So Joseph went to visit his father, and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ²When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to see you.” So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed. ³Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’”

You are never too old to speak into the lives of your kids.

John 14:26
But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

Genesis 48:5-6
⁵“Now I am claiming as my own sons these two boys of yours, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born here in the land of Egypt before I arrived. They will be my sons, just as Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh.

Call your grandchildren into your faith journey.

Genesis 48:8-12
⁸Then Jacob looked over at the two boys. “Are these your sons?” he asked. ⁹“Yes,” Joseph told him, “these are the sons God has given me here in Egypt.” And Jacob said, “Bring them closer to me, so I can bless them.” ¹⁰Jacob was half blind because of his age and could hardly see. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Jacob kissed and embraced them. ¹¹Then Jacob said to Joseph, “I never thought I would see your face again, but now God has let me see your children, too!” ¹²Joseph moved the boys, who were at their grandfather’s knees, and he bowed with his face to the ground.

Demonstrate your affection to your grandchildren.

Genesis 48:13-14
¹³Then he positioned the boys in front of Jacob. With his right hand he directed Ephraim toward Jacob’s left hand, and with his left hand he put Manasseh at Jacob’s right hand. ¹⁴But Jacob crossed his arms as he reached out to lay his hands on the boys’ heads. He put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, though he was the younger boy, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, though he was the firstborn.

Don’t let the statures of your grandchild determine the size of your blessing.

1 Corinthians 1:28
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Genesis 48:15-19
¹⁵Then he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham and my father, Isaac, walked— the God who has been my shepherd all my life, to this very day, ¹⁶the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may he bless these boys.  May they preserve my name and the names of Abraham and Isaac.  And may their descendants multiply greatly throughout the earth.” ¹⁷But Joseph was upset when he saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head. So Joseph lifted it to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ¹⁸“No, my father,” he said. “This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.” ¹⁹But his father refused. “I know, my son; I know,” he replied. “Manasseh will also become a great people, but his younger brother will become even greater. And his descendants will become a multitude of nations.”

Remind your grandchildren of God’s faithfulness to you.

Genesis 48:20
So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

Hebrews 11:21
It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

Embrace your years of life for the wisdom they provide.

Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.