Will the Next Generation Follow God?

   
     Each generation is known by certain designations today.  There are the Baby "Boomers"....those born after World War II from 1946 to 1964.  Then there are the Gen X'ers born between 1965 and 1980, and they are followed by the Millennials or Gen Y born between 1981 and 1996.  While each generation is known for certain characteristics, one question remains.  Will the next generation rising up know the Lord?  Looking to the Bible reveals some good lessons for us.
     Following the great victories, miracles and conquests which God provided for the Israelites, Joshua, the son of Nun, died.  All the tribes had their apportioned land that God had given in promise to them.  While the Lord was faithful in His covenant, the children of Israel were not.  We read this sad commentary in Judges 2:10-12:  "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what He had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.  They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt.  They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them."  What happened to this generation?

Our son Aaron with his firstborn son Aiden

     One of the things we can learn from this passage is that the generation which followed Joshua had not been taught by their fathers about the works of the Lord.  This made them easy prey for the surrounding culture with its foreign gods.  They were seduced because they lacked the knowledge of God and His laws.  This was in violation of what the Lord had specifically told the Children of Israel to do as recorded in Deuteronomy 11:19 concerning the Law:  "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Each generation was called upon to make certain their children knew about the LORD, His commands and precepts.  Yet over and over again in Israel's history, we see evidence of neglect in this area.  The result was a generation that did not know the Lord.
      What we see happening today in our culture is not unlike this picture painted for us in Scripture.
God intends for His people to be salt and light in this world to transform the culture but it seems that the culture is doing more to transform the church.  In some denominations, there is little distinction between their governing bodies actions and the culture around them.  When this happens, Jesus tells us the result in His Sermon on the Mount:  "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot" (Matthew 5:13).
     When we consider what happened in the Old Testament, it was not merely the allure of the pagan nations around them that turned them from the Lord.  Rather, it happened because the believers no longer knew the Lord, His character, and His Laws.  We are seeing much the same today with the rise of abortion, euthanasia, and sexual immorality of all sorts.  There are fewer church members today who have sufficient understanding of the doctrines of the faith taken from Scripture.  As a result, they do not know the Lord and all He has done for them through Christ.  So how do we begin to combat this?
     Our first order of business is to make certain that we teach our children and grandchildren the truth of God's Word.  Read the Bible to them.  My grandfather did this with me.  No storybooks for me.  He read me the Bible.  I did not understand all of it, but I knew it was important to him and I never forgot that.  Then, we must take our children to church...not drop them off but attend with them.  We must pray with them and for them and model our faith before them.  More behavior is caught than taught.  If they see us living for Christ, it sets an example for them.
     Recently, one of our grandsons was having a tough time starting his day.  I could tell he was upset so I asked him if he wanted to pray about it.  He agreed and led in prayer.  I finished it off all while we were traveling together in a car (he is five years old).  His parents are teaching him to turn to God, and I wanted to reinforce that in his life.  God has the answers for us in little and big problems and this is what we want our children and grandchildren to know.
     Within the church itself, we need to be prayer warriors.  Pray for the leadership, the pastors, and for God's Word to penetrate the darkness of the human heart.  If we want to see our churches stand

Our daughter Jordan on the day of Rilyn's baptism with Gavin

for truth despite the assaults of culture that would make it look like the world, then we also need to be willing to roll up our shirt sleeves and be involved.  For example, we can offer a Sunday School Class or Bible study on basic Christian beliefs.  Currently in our church, the pastors and elders are teaching a solid course going over the doctrines of the faith.  It has been a rich blessing to attend this.  As believers we can never get enough of God's Word and truth into our minds.  This is the only way we can stand when the enemy attacks us.
     God has called us to be His ambassadors in this world.  We are called to glorify God, and we do this best when we prepare the next generation to know Him, love Him and serve Him.  However, they will never know Christ if we do not tell them, train them and help them to grow.  We must not fail in our mission to evangelize at home first and then to our neighbors and beyond.  The Lord has called us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.  Therefore, let us consider how we can begin to teach, train and prepare the next generation that they might know the Lord and live for Him.  Selah!

What Type of House Do You Live In?

     My husband and I start our days several times a week with a stroll through our neighborhood.  We may walk for a mile or two along the streets and enjoy the cool, quiet moments of the morning praying, talking, and simply observing nature.  On more than one occasion, I noticed something as we went along that made me sad.  We would see one very neat, well cared for home and next to it would be a house that almost looked abandoned.  The grass was high, the shrubs were out of control and the house looked like it needed serious attention.  In this economy, I can only conclude that the bank may have foreclosed on the home owners or that someone had passed away and the house had been left for relatives to decide how to dispose of it.  However, it was such a glaring difference between the appearance of homes on the same street.  This wasn't an isolated case either.  There are a number of such contrasts throughout the area that we walk.  I thought to myself that certainly a prospective home buyer would never be attracted to a run down, unkempt property compared to the nicely kept home next door.  Then, it struck me.  Isn't this the same kind of distinction that the world should see between believers and unbelievers?

     Jesus spoke these words to the disciples in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew5:13-16):  "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  These descriptions portray what believers are to be in this dark world in which we live.  We are to be light and salt adding flavor and illuminating the way to live according to the Word of God.  Like the neatly kept homes I walk by, we are to be attractive by reflecting Christ to a hurting, sin-sick world.  There should be a contrast between the way we live and the way unbelievers live just as there is a contrast between well kept homes and abandoned decaying ones.  So what does it mean to be salt and light?
     When our lives are committed to Christ, we have several important tasks.  First, we are His ambassadors to this world.  We are called to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ, His salvation and His kingdom. (John 17:18; Matt. 24:14).  Our light shines when we reflect this call and serve others in their needs as Christ has served us.  What a difference this makes!  The world does not do this.  However, we must be on guard that we do not fall prey to materialism, the indifference towards God and the pursuit of pleasure or status that drives this society.  We are in this world, but we are not to be of this world.  Our life is a pilgrim's journey as we pass through this world to our home with God.  During our lifespan, then, we are to make a difference by shining for Christ...living a life to His glory in obedience.
Jesus calls us to listen to others, empathize with them, care for them, bind up their wounds, but not to fall into their practices.  Instead, we are to use our opportunities of service to demonstrate His love and be able to share our faith that those lost in sin may hear about the Savior.

     Jesus also told us to be salt in this world.  One of the properties of salt is as a preservative.  As believers, we are to hinder the corruption of this world.  Our lives need to demonstrate morality, good stewardship of our resources and the earth's resources, as well as love for our neighbor.  Deeds of mercy and kindness do not go unnoticed when done with a heart full of God's love.  In addition, we have the opportunity to demonstrate a good "work ethic" which further demonstrates our desire to fulfill God's call on our lives.  It is definitely a good witness to others when we perform on the job not to please men but to please God.  This definitely stands out and brings glory to the Lord.  We can transform our culture around us by living for Christ in all that we do.
     Our job is to illuminate our world and to be the salt that helps to preserve godly conduct.  The Lord has graciously chosen us unworthy vessels to pour out His blessing of love upon.  Yet, it does not stop there.  We are then, in turn, to carry it to those around us and share His news of salvation.  This is why we are here that we may bloom where He has planted us.
     Somehow, God always seems to speak to my heart through analogies and I could not help but see the tremendous contrast between the houses that were well kept and those that were left to decay.  Our world is like that.  We must be living in a house fully dedicated to Christ so that our light may shine brightly.  People will notice, and they will ask what makes us so different.  This is when we have the privilege of telling them about a Savior who offers us a new life of forgiveness from our sins.  Lets get busy and look at our lives and remove anything that keeps us from shining brightly or being salt in this hurting world of ours.  Selah!


What areas has God called you to work on?  I welcome your insights and words of encouragement.  Please feel free to leave them here.