From one Generation to the Next

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Scripture

Consider her ramparts; Go through her palaces, That you may tell it to the next generation.
(Psalms 48:13 NASB)
For such is God, Our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death.
(Psalms 48:14 NASB)

 

Observation


God had always been faithful to his people. This is his nature and God's nature is unchangeable. Somehow the Israelites needed to be constantly reminded of the faithfulness of God, for they seemed to forget. The people needed to trust in him and share that from one generation to the next. It was important to understand that the faithful nature of God meant that his presence would be a constant forever.

Application

We've all heard the different lines. "God doesn't have any grandchildren." "The church is only one generation away from extinction." And while these may sound like cliches that we've heard far too often, maybe we need to reflect upon them in a sober manner. The reality is that we ARE just one generation away from extinction and I believe that we are seeing this come to fruition with lightening speed. The children of Israel were as well. This is not a new problem, it is one which the people of God have faced over and over again throughout history and there have been moments in which his people have had to realize that they were at a crisis moment and take action.

The action begins by examining ourselves. How are we living out our faith? Are we living out our faith in a manner which would be pleasing to God? Is our faith consistent with the way in which we live our lives? If the young people of today look at us and examine our lives and our lifestyles, would they see God there? They want to see genuine lived-out faith in community. If they do not see us living our lives consistent with what we preach or consistent with our convictions, they will not buy into our faith. Let's consider the church -- the city -- the world in which we live. May we be faithful servants of God, taking his presence to every nook and cranny so that the world, and the next generation will see that God is alive and well.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to look at myself and my short-comings and may you cleanse me and keep me on a pure path. May my lifestyle reflect you to the world around me! Amen.

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