Great insights!!! Thanks for making the calling so clear.
On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 9:20 AM, 'Ruth Goulart' via Bible Reading Group (Post) <brgpost@gracestamford.org> wrote:
Don't Drop the Ball and Let the Bounce End!!!
"After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD or what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD..." Judges 2:10-11
What happened to Israel? We have just been reading about how they choose to serve the LORD and obey all his commands. We just read how they continued to defeat enemies in the land God promised them? We saw a repentant side when the angel of the LORD came to them and revealed their sin (they hadn't destroy the altars of their enemies as they were commanded). But now we see that this generation has passed and the next one doesn't just sin in the sight of the LORD, no, we read that they didn't even know who the LORD was let alone what he had done for them. What went wrong?
In my mind there is only one answer; the generation that passed failed to train up, to teach truth, to share testimony, to build up, to warn, to offer hope, to encourage in the LORD, to prepare the next generation to be a generation that would remain faithful to the LORD and instill in them a heart that desired to serve and live for the LORD their God. I am sure the generation that passed showed the next how to be good people, productive, and encouraged them and had a love for them, but they seemed to have failed to see their role in sharing the truth of God's word, training them up, and revealing God's call on the lives of all people, including the next generation. Basically they dropped the ball and thought it would just continue to bounce without every teaching anyone how to pick it up and keep it going.
I fear that we are in a position to repeat history. We are a generation who knows the LORD and what he has done for us. But I must ask, what are we doing DAILY to make sure we pass on the truths of God's word, to train up, and prepare the next generation to be biblical leaders of truth for the generation that will follow them?
I believe that every person is called to be a part of this vital step in training up and preparing those younger then ourselves to know the LORD of the bible and to live for Him according to his word. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, step parents, and family member are the first line of training and support to our youngest generations. But the responsibility to prepare is not just left on their shoulders, that is a very heavy burden especially when you look and see the world that they are up against. It takes an army of Christ followers, of truth seekers and truth speakers to help train up and prepare the next generation, anyone younger then ourselves, to be obedient and faithful to the LORD. To train the next generation to know the LOVE of Christ, the POWER of the Holy Spirit, and the FREEDOM that comes through the message of God's word. You are not just needed, I believe you are called to get into the battle for the next generation and be a part of the voice that will speak against lies, deception, temptations, and the lure of the world that is constantly screaming for their attention.
How can we be a part? We need to know truth and LIVE IT,! Often times example is the best way to show how to do something. If God's word tells us to forgive as we have been forgiven yet we harbor anger and withhold forgiveness from others what does that teach? If God's word tells us to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths yet we speak ill of others and continually point out their flaws and ways they are annoying what does that teach? If we are called to make known the things God has done for us and we do not what does that teach? If we are called to share the truth of God's word according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and we never utter a word what does that teach? I could go on and one here. It means nothing to know the word of God if we fail to live it out!!! It is like having the cure to cancer and assuming because we have it, because we know it others will simply figure it out.
The generation of Israelites that passed had the answers to a life of freedom, of hope, of contentment, of truth to shatter darkness, of peace, of guidance, of encouragement, of power, of everything they would every need. They had this and they failed somehow to give it, to pass it to the next generation.
My prayer is that every day I would ask the Lord to show me how I can be a part of helping to build up and train the next generation of truth seekers and truth speaker to have a passionate desire to know and live for the LORD. I need to ask who I can pour my life into and build up. Daily I can be and need to be in prayer for the next generation. I need to show love, kindness, patience, peace, joy, faithfulness (all the fruits of the spirit) to everyone I encounter despite how they may treat me (it is nothing different then what I know Christ endured for my benefit). I need to pray for wisdom as I read God's word and ask for the Holy Spirit to give me the ability to live out what I learn and to show me, convict me if needed, when I am not being a living example of the truth I profess to believe. I also need to pray against the enemy who has a very loud voice in our world and desire to drown out truth and desires to keep us from being effective in our call to build into and build up the next generation.
I hope each of you will join me in the calling to help raise up and train the next generation (from birth to a year younger then yourself). What a awesome and humbling opportunity we have been given. Let's be sure to not drop the ball but teach others how to keep it bouncing.
"Multiplying leaders to change the world"
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