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Devotional For The Week – 13 October 2008 Sermon Title: From Generation to Generation What inheritance must we leave our children? What gift is so important that the Lord himself specifically commanded us to present to the next generation? It is the gift of faith, of the knowledge of the existence of a great and Holy God and His goodness and mercy which lasts through eternity. For it is said in Exodus 3:15 ` The LORD, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’ Our God is an everlasting God. While it is important for us to know God personally, it is equally important for us to pass on that knowledge through the generations. How do we pass this on to the next generation? 1. Teach them. We are to teach them that `The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you might.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4) The lesson is that we are to put God first in all we do. A lesson of this magnitude, however, cannot be taught just using words. It is a lesson that we teach the next generation through the daily living of our lives. Think about it, we cannot tell a child to obey God’s command and `love your neighbour as yourself’ when we ourselves gossip about the lady living next door. When teaching a new generation about the faith it really is a case of action speaking louder than words. How much we love God is shown by our devotion to Him, our willingness to spend time with Him, our attitude of surrender to His will and our obedience to His word. It is seen in the way we talk about Him, how frequently and how earnestly we speak of Him. `And these words, which I am commanding you, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) The Word of God is to be so ingrained in our lives that we live and breathe it to the next generation. 2. Train them. We are to train `a child in the way he should go’ so that `even when he is old he will not depart from it.’ (Proverbs 22:6) Training goes beyond teaching and words. It means putting the child through that the paces. It requires us to take on the role of a coach. It means setting the direction for the child, designing the training routine, ensuring progress in his development. It means correcting his moves when he commits an error in the sight of the Lord, teaching him to obey the Word. It means teaching him to discipline himself, so that when he grows up, he will not ` run like a man running aimlessly’ (1 Corinthians 9:26) but will instead be able to say `I beat my body and make it my slave’ (1 Corinthians 9:27) so that he will `obtain a crown that will last forever.’ (1 Corinthians 9:25) What are the consequences? It is said in Exodus 20:4-6 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.’ The obvious reason for teaching and training the next generation to keep God’s commands is so that they too may receive His blessings and love. What is not so apparent is the consequence of not teaching the child in the way he should go. What will happen to such a child? According to the verse above, it is probable that the child will make himself an idol and worship it. In our present day, our golden calves include the our careers, our material possessions, even negative activities like cheating, gambling, smoking, pornography, adultery, etc. Lacking the knowledge of what God wants him to become and lacking the self discipline to focus on God and the things that please Him, the child, by then an adult will fall prey to the ways of the world. And because our God is a jealous God, that child, who will then be a parent, will see God’s punishment fall not only on Him but also onto his third and fourth generation. So let us be like the psalmist who says ` Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, til I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:17-18) Prayer Response Lord, thank You for Your Word that teaches me how to live. Forgive me, God, for not speaking of You as often as I should. Help me remember that it is not just my responsibility to pass on the faith to the next generation but my privilege as well. Grant me deeper insight into Your ways, and fill me with the knowledge of Your grace that my lips may sing Your praises for ever more. Devotional based on a sermon by Dr Cheah Fung Fong
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