When I was a little boy, my grandma gave me an old box filled with a variety of different objects, which had been passed down through the family. Perhaps the one that struck me the most was a Bible â€" an old King James Bible that looked as if it were being held together by a mere thread. It was so old and flimsy that I thought it would crumble at any second!

Upon handing me this mysterious box, my grandma said to me, "Make sure you always take good care of this … then someday when I'm long gone and you have a little boy or girl of your own, you can give this box to them just like I'm giving it to you. Tell them the stories that go with each object so that they'll always be passed down through the family."

… stories that are passed down through the generations.

Isn't our faith a lot like that box … or at least the objects in it? Think about it - unless we talk about our faith in Jesus Christ, how can His message of salvation be passed down through the generations? Indeed, we must take care of it and pass it along to others.

In 2 Timothy 4:1,2 Paul challenges Timothy â€" "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage â€" with great patience and careful instruction."

In other words, "You know the Word â€" the Message of Salvation! Now, go â€" go and share it with others!"

That box that my grandma gave me sits in a large box marked "memories." One day my grandma will be gone and I will have a child of my own. As he (or she!) grows, it will be my turn to pass those stories along - a time will come when I'll sit him on my lap, tell him that his great grandma gave me that box when I was a little boy, repeat the stories that go along with the objects, and give it to him to do the same with his children some day …

The stories will be passed along.

Or I can simply keep the box sealed up in my closet and someday (when I'm long gone) it will be found and no one will know the stories that are attached to it. As a result, the stories will stop with me â€" the stories will die.

Unless we (as Christians) are intentional about passing along the story of our faith, it will die. The only way to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ is to open our mouths and share with others what God has so graciously shared with us.

As Paul urged Timothy, so I urge you (and myself) â€" Don't keep your faith wrapped up in a box labeled "memories." Don't let it die. Pass it along.

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"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:10

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