PASS IT ON
...so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
...children... young men... fathers...
1 John 2:12-14 (NIV)
There comes a point in our journey when following Jesus becomes more than just about us. What God has built into us is meant to be passed on to others. In 1 John 2:12-14, John speaks to three groups: children, young men and fathers. Children know the Father. The young men are strong. But when John speaks to the fathers, he repeats one simple description: You know him who is from the beginning. There's something beautiful about this description of spiritual maturity. John doesn't say the fathers know everything and have it all together. Instead, spiritual fathers are those who have walked with God long enough to know Him.
They've seen His faithfulness through both beautiful and difficult seasons. They've prayed prayers that were answered and others that seemed to go unanswered. They've walked through wilderness places, fought battles, experienced failure, received grace and discovered again and again that God can be trusted. They have become sages, something our world desperately needs. And that is part of our calling as Kingdom men and women. People are coming behind us who haven't traveled as far yet. They are fighting battles we have already fought. They are asking questions we have wrestled with. They are entering wildernesses we recognize. They need our stories of God's faithfulness. They need someone who can say I've walked this road. Let me tell you what God taught me. Someone who can remind them when they're afraid that God can be trusted. Someone who can encourage them when they stumble to get back up and keep walking. Maybe spiritual maturity isn't simply measured by how far we have traveled with God. Maybe it's also measured by whether we're helping someone else make the journey.
Don't waste what God has taught you. Pass it on.
APPLICATION: Think about someone who isn't as far along in their journey with God as you are. Come alongside them, listen to them, share what God has taught you, pray for them and help them take their next step toward Jesus.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for everything You've taught me along the way. Give me someone I can encourage and strengthen and help me faithfully pass on what You have given me. Make me
"… 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?