I am very blessed to be the wife of a pastor, the daughter of a missionary, the sister of a missionary pastor, and the granddaughter of a missionary. As a rather astonished man once told me when I shared how many preacher relatives I had, “Lady, that’s a whole lotta church!” It is far more than a lot of church. It is a beautiful spiritual heritage, one that has helped to make me the person I am today.
October is “Pastor Appreciation Month.” I am thankful that someone has designated a special time for remembering our pastors, but I am reminded that the Bible does not limit us to appreciating them only once a year. In fact, it encourages us to remember them, honor them, obey them, and follow them continually as they follow Christ.
The song that I am sharing now is one that I wrote several years ago to honor my grandpa, Missionary Bob Adams. There is not enough space here for me to share what a man of God he was, or the depth of the impact he made on my life, so I will only share a little.
A few things that stand out in my mind about my grandpa:
- His love of the Lord and the Word of God
- His passion to tell everyone everywhere about the Gospel of Jesus Christ
- His love of airplanes and flying, and how he used that love to take the Bible all over the world
- His joyful, LOUD singing
- His boldness
- His prayers
I can hardly type these words without crying. So many memories flood my mind – of Grandpa witnessing, praying, singing, preaching, memorizing Scripture. I don’t think that anyone who met him ever went away without knowing that he knew the Lord, and that he wanted them to know Him too. How I pray for a portion of his spirit! How I long to “follow his faith”! I have never known a more fervent Christian.
When he was around 80 years old, someone asked him about his plans. This was his response:
“I thank God for all that He’s done in all these years, and I don’t plan on quitting until I just can’t even move, and then…I’m going to go to heaven.”
What a testimony!
When I wrote this song, it was for a video tribute that was going to honor the 35th anniversary of the ministry he began, Wings Bearing Precious Seed. I wanted the song to honor him, and more than that, to honor the Lord and be faithful to the Word of God. That is what Grandpa would have wanted, and I pray that it does just that.
I am thankful for this man of God. I am also thankful for my dad, my husband, my brother, and many other faithful men of God who have invested in my life, and who continue to give the Word of God.
I pray that this song will be an encouragement to many men of God to stay faithful, to know that their labor is not in vain in the Lord. I also pray that it will be a challenge to each of us to do as the Scripture commands,
“Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.” (Heb. 13:7)
Follow Their Faith
We are living in a world today that’s full of compromise,
And it is rare to find those who have served God with their lives.
So when we see a warrior who’s been in the battle long,
And we find that he’s still standing strong,
We should follow the faith of those who’ve been faithful to the Lord.
We should follow the faith of those who’ve been faithful to His Word.
We should lift up their hands. We should honor their stand.
As they finish their race, we should follow their faith.
It’s not for fame or glory that so patiently they’ve run,
But because they long to hear their Heavenly Father say, “Well done”.
A privilege we’ve been given to watch them bear His name.
Will we who come behind them do the same?
We should follow the faith of those who’ve been faithful to the Lord.
We should follow the faith of those who’ve been faithful to His Word.
We should lift up their hands. We should honor their stand.
As they finish their race, we should follow their faith.
©Copyright 2007 Niki Lott.
If you would like to sing this song, you can hear a sample clip, and order the sheet music or digital download here.
If you would like to see the video tribute of Grandpa’s ministry, I know it would be a blessing to you. You can watch it here.
I remember your grandfather. We were acquainted with him and your grandmother when we were attending Mayfield BBC.
I remember his powerful preaching, his faithfulness to the Lord, and I remember him saying…I will not complain and with a big smile on his face.
Thank you! The memories from others mean so much. He truly had the joy of the Lord!