Tradition

One of the few things my father told me before I was to marry was"now you can make your own traditions." I wondered about that statement, what are our family traditions? Was it stopping at a certain Foster's freeze for an ice cream? Was it stopping at a hamburger place that specialized in chili burgers? These things we did year after year when we made trips in our car. Was it our traditional Friday night gathering to play cards with my father and brothers? One tradition he passed down was to work hard and to be thankful for a job. My mother was a homemaker, always home and my father worked very hard, but was always home for dinner. They were faithful and our extended family was always together for thanksgiving and holidays. My family did not come to Jesus until I was nineteen. My affliction with cancer and being touched by God brought the family together to be baptized. After this God was in our traditions. My family loves the Lord Jesus Christ and the word of God. 

Mat 15:1  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Mat 15:2  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Mat 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

The dictionary defines a tradition as a way of thinking, behaving or doing something that has been used in a particular group, family or society for a long time.

The Strong's Concordance

Tradition, paradosis: of the body of precepts, esp. ritual, which in the opinion of the later Jews were orally delivered by Moses and orally transmitted in unbroken succession to subsequent generations, which precepts, both illustrating and expanding the written law, as they did were to be obeyed with equal reverence.

Bad thinking and sin can be passed down.

Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 

Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

There are good traditions that define the character of a nation. Godly laws that honor God, such as our motto, in God we trust.  Now these traditions are under attack to be replaced by lesser values and ungodly laws. Churches have traditions, ways of doing things, but our traditions are not to take away from God's truth. When a tradition goes against the commands of God, they will not prosper. A nation that turns from God is headed for destruction unless they repent. A church must teach and practice truth by faith in God and the Lord Jesus Christ as savior or their traditions are a hindrance. Traditions can become habits, so be sure that your traditions are acceptable to God.