The Legacy of Our Father(s): His Namesake

My Father was a great man! He was a man of wisdom, strength and character, but first and foremost, he was a godly Christian man. He was a man of righteousness who modeled this for all to see. He not only walked the walk, he talked the talk. He can also be described as a man who stood for justice. Fathers are men who after they are gone, have an undeniable legacy that they have left behind. The most precious gift that a man can leave his family is a legacy that his survivors can remember and relish. My father did not send his family to church; he took us to church. He modeled that each Sunday. He studied his lesson and made sure that we received the word each week. " What did you learn today in Sunday School?" This was asked of me and my brother and sister each week. We would regurgitate the lesson to him week after week. We learned the books of the bible, the Ten Commandments and many other things that most children today have not had the pleasure to learn. He taught us to "turn the other cheek". There are so many memories of my father that I could list, but as I think of him today, thirty-seven years since his homegoing, I smile, as I am proud of the legacy that he left behind. This is the most precious gift that anyone could receive. His blood that run through my veins each day is a DNA footprint that I hope to pass on one day not just to future children, but to my nieces and nephews. The family name is a badge of honor and sense of pride for many families in this world. The legacy of Adolphus Ross Sr still lives today.There is another legacy that is more precious than my fleshly father; it is my Spiritual Father. He is the one who made it possible for all of us to exist on this earth. He is the Father who is known by many in this world as:

1. Adonai Jehovah..................The Lord Our Sovereign
2. El-Elyon.............................The Lord Most High
3. El-Olam.............................The Everlasting God
4. El Shaddai....The God That is Sufficient for Needs of His People
5. Jehovah Elohim..................The Eternal Creator
6. Jehovah Jireh.....................The Lord our Provider
7. Jehovah Nissi......................The Lord our Banner
8. Jehovah Ropheka................The Lord our Healer
9. Jehovah Shalom..................The Lord our Peace
10. Jehovah Tsidkenu.........The Lord our Righteousness
11. Jehovah Mekaddishkem.....The Lord our Sanctifier
12. Jehovah Sabaoth................The Lord of Host
13. Jehovah Shammah.............The Lord is Present
14. Jehovah Rohi......................The Lord our Shepherd
15. Jehovah Hoseenu................The Lord our Maker
16. Jehovah Eloheenu...............The Lord our God

These are just some of the names and a mere mention of his legacy to us.
He is everything to us. His legacy is chronicled in the Old Testament and New Testament. His acts and deeds as well as his character is revealved through out the bible.

It is prayfully requested that if you do not know your father or the legacy that he has left you,

Read Romans 10:9-10
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

You too will have a legacy on which to stand and be proud. This is the most precious gift that any father can leave a child. He is a father to the fatherless and a mother to the motherless. He is waiting on you to accept this open invitation into his family.