We just spent three wonderful days in Hoover, Alabama with our eldest daughter, four grandchildren, a granddaughter and grandson-in-law along with three precious great grandchildren. Lord willing, and if I am living this time next year, there will be two additional great-grandchildren. Four generations in the same place really is 1-hectic, and 2-special. What an awesome privilege to have God bless our family in this way.
But it is a responsibility in so many ways. Physically, educationally, spiritually! Except for the great-grandchildren, all are Believers. And you can rest assured, those three and the two yet unborn will be discipled to follow the Lord at an early age. Many of you are experiencing the same blessing, with some having very large families. Don’t you sense something special, comforting, being a part of muti-generations?
God ordained it. In Genesis, the Lord commanded Adam to procreate, fill the earth, subdue it and rule over it. He and Eve were blessed to be the very first parents. God, through his omniscience, and faithfulness, gave the Earth to us to be his caretakers. And to walk with him by faith. Included in that is generational joy and responsibility.
Let’s take a look at Psalm 78.2-7. And I encourage you to read vss.1-8. Men, I’m sure you’ll notice that God addresses the fathers, not exclusively, but as the authority within your home.
“I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.”
You can see three, maybe four generations mentioned. The active words are…told, not hide, tell, teach, know, set hope, not forget. All of these are pure discipleship. Loving, praying, modeling, mentoring, teaching, blessing. We only get one life to live for Christ and his kingdom. Invest it in THEM! That is eternal! We have to develop a ‘heart’ for discipleship. And it starts in your home, your family and extended family. Speaking of heart, listen to Jesus’ words.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Mt. 6.19-21.
Today, we don’t have to look far to see the devastating results of godless teaching and worldly discipleship in children’s lives in America. Everything starts at home. Commit yourself to true discipleship. God has sent you the Holy Spirit to accomplish it, Jesus is interceding for you, and he’s given you his word and prayer. You cannot fail, that is, unless you choose to not invest in them. We all want to hear…“WELL DONE!!!”