LOVED PASSED DOWN
Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure His greatness. Let each generation tell its children of Your mighty acts; let them proclaim Your power.
Psalm 145:3-4 (NLT)
Every parent has certain things they pass down. The unsavory secret is that some are intentional, and others are unintentional. My dad has given me a love for home projects, family trips and for a spiritual place known as Costco. There are things I do and say because they were intentionally passed down, and some are unintentional. Most of us are a product of our upbringing. That can be good news or bad news, depending on your situation growing up. Even in the bad things, you have a heavenly Father who can set you free and heal any wounds.
The verse above reminds us that part of our legacy is to pass on the love of Jesus Christ to the next generation. In 2008, the men's Olympic relay team was disqualified because they failed to pass the baton properly to the next person. Think about it: it doesn’t matter how fast you run. If you don’t pass the baton on to your teammate, you can't win. God wants us to know it doesn’t matter how fast you run in this life; it doesn’t matter how much we accomplish. If we don’t pass on the love of Jesus to the next generation, then we have failed.
Only God can transform people, but we must tell future generations about Jesus. We have to proclaim and tell about His power in our lives. If you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or even a small group leader, you must be intentional about telling what Jesus has done in us. The world is discipling our kids, and the church has to do a better job because it feels like we are losing. Psalm 145 gives us the key: talk about Jesus every second you can. Talk about what He's done in and through you. People don’t need just to hear sermons or intellectual ideas or do Bible studies; they need to hear how God has marked your life. When they hear and see this, they will begin to take note. It will form in them a passion for Jesus that might not be fully realized until years down the road. The seeds of the Gospel might not spring into fruition at that exact moment but don’t give up. Keep being faithful. I'm a product of people sowing and telling me of the power of Jesus. God is faithful when we speak up for Him!
APPLICATION:
Tell those around you today how God has transformed your life.
PRAYER:
Spend time praying for future generations. Pray by name for those who are in your life. Pray that our discipleship and raising of kids would be greater than the world. Pray for Jesus to have His way in future generations!
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?