generations

Know that it is good

/ EllieJ

Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul, spear in hand, was seated under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeath, with all his officials standing around him. Saul said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

1 Samuel 22:6-8 (NIV)

This sounds like the rant of a madman. It is the rant of a madman. Jealousy can be a powerful motivator. Saul saw David as a great threat to his rule over Israel and sought to destroy him. He allowed his jealousy, anger, and rage to consume him. Instead of ruling the nation as he had been anointed to do, Saul took his best men and went running around the countryside seeking to kill the man who had once been the only one who could calm him.

David, on the run, had long ago been anointed as the next king of Israel. The present king was doing all that he could to prevent David from ascending the throne. At one point, David had ample opportunity to take Saul’s life, and thus, the throne. His men would have followed him that day in the cave had David chosen to relieve Saul of his life while Saul relieved himself. But that would have made David just like Saul.

Saul had once been an honourable man. Anointed as king over Israel, he started off well, but soon took matters into his own hands rather than leaving them in God’s hand. God had already taken his anointing from Saul’s familial line. David, the man who chased after God’s heart, would be the start of a line of royalty that would not only last for generations, but for eternity.

But all of that could have easily been cast away had David chosen to kill Saul instead of trim his robe. David took the path of humility over the path of vengeance. Just one of many instances that earned him the eternal bloodline.

He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you?’ This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord’s anointed.'”

1 Samuel 24:9 (NIV)

David’s faithfulness and his haste to repentance when he wasn’t so faithful allowed God to continue to work through him. By continuing to seek the Lord rather than pursue his own desired, God was able to make Israel great and, eventually make a way to save the whole world. David’s obedience and faithfulness to God far outlasted his own lifetime. It spared many generations to follow—all the way to Jesus, who came to save all generations.

Just as David could not fathom all that God had planned for his lineage, we cannot even begin to understand the plans God has for us. We can live in the moment and take the path of least resistance, or we can live for the prize God has set before us.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

That prize that Paul was talking about is our green card, our citizenship in heaven. I can guarantee that there will be opportunities to take the easy way—like Saul in the save before David—but I can also guarantee that there is another way. We can’t know all that God has planned for us and how it will affect the generations to come. But we can trust in His plan and know that it is good.

Read: 1 Samuel 22-24, Luke 16:1-18

It’s in the past

/ EllieJ

There is a scene in Disney’s The Lion King where Rafiki, a baboon, swats Simba, a lion, on the head. When Simba asks what it was for, Rafiki responds, “It doesn’t matter, it’s in the past!” He goes on to say that you can either run from the past or learn from it. In Joshua, Israel chooses to set up a memorial so that the generations to follow could learn from the past.

These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.

Joshua 4:7b (NIV)

On significant occasions, Israel would often build landmarks or altars to commemorate what God had done for them. These stones would serve as a reminder to future generations of their rich heritage.

He did this so that all the people of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God

Joshua 4:24 (NIV)

Simba had to leave some things in his past, but he also had to remember the past so that he could lay hold of his inheritance—an entire kingdom. Sound familiar? Even after Israel took the Promised Land, they needed perpetual reminders of the fact that they were God’s chosen people, and of how they got to be where they were. Even the painful reminders of past sin would prove to be helpful for generations to come.

Like Israel setting up stones and Simba facing the hurt of the past, we can’t turn our backs entirely on our own history. In many cases, we need to celebrate it. If you needed to be rescued, celebrate and talk about the fact that God brought you out! If you were healed, speak of the Lord’s faithfulness. If you have been made whole, share it with the world.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness know through all generations.
I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

Psalm 89:1-2 (NIV)

How is the present generation to know of God’s goodness and faithfulness if the previous generation never speaks of it? Our sin is in the past, but God’s love, mercy, and grace endure forever—through all generations. We need to speak of these things and celebrate them as well.

How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)

If you need to erect a monument to commemorate God’s goodness, go for it. If you need to share your story, do it. If you want to sing a song of praise, go ahead. Just don’t keep it to yourself!

Read: Joshua 4-6, Luke 2:1-24

The seventh day

/ EllieJ

Read: Exodus 31-33, Matthew 22:23-46

When you think of something as being holy, what comes to mind? A certain place? The empty tomb. Jerusalem. A church or temple. A specific thing? The Bible. Communion elements—bread and wine. The ark of the covenant. Things that are holy usually generate a picture in our minds. But the very first thing that God set aside as holy was neither a place nor a thing.

And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Genesis 2:3 (NIV)

According to our religious way of thinking, once God had completed creation, we would expect that He would create a dwelling for Himself, a holy sanctuary where He could reside. But He didn’t. No such thing was made.

Things are only temporary. Out of sight, out of mind. Had God set aside a place or a thing, it could (and probably would) be easily forgotten. Instead, He set aside time, a regular occurrence at which point humanity was to set aside all else so that our focus could be on our Creator alone.

Exodus 31:13

We can set aside places and things to be considered holy, but unless we actually take time, God will not be glorified or worshiped. Even though western Christian tradition sets aside Sunday—the first day of the week—as the Sabbath. I don’t believe God is so concerned with which day or time we set aside as He is with the fact that we actually take the time to turn our focus off of everything but Him.

Our holiness is entirely dependent on God’s holiness. And we cannot be made holy if we do not know the One who makes us holy. Whether you take the first day, the seventh day, or the fourth day, take a day. Consider it holy. Don’t just abstain from work, but use that time to pursue God. Let it continue to stand as a reminder for the generations to come that He is the Lord, who makes us holy.

God of the living

/ EllieJ / Leave a comment

Sometimes I wonder how much of what I enjoy today is because of the faithfulness of previous generations. I know that, as far back as we have been able to trace, my family has been Christians. And not just Christians – many of them in active ministry. Many still are.

From there Isaac moved to Beersheba, where the Lord appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.”

Genesis 26:23-24 (NLT)

Isaac was able to begin to see the fulfilment of God’s promise, not because of who he was, but because of who his father was. His prosperity was a result of the promise God had made to Abraham, not to Isaac.

‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.

Matthew 22:32 (NLT)

Here, upon returning to the land his father had inhabited, Isaac is reminded of the promise that God made to Abraham. Abraham’s faithfulness and obedience allowed Isaac, as well as the generations that followed, to enjoy the fruit.

Who has been faithful in the generations that came before you? Are you enjoying the fruits of their faithfulness?

Perhaps you are the first generation of the faithful. Think about what you could be planting for the generations that come after you. Abraham never lived to see the whole promise fulfilled. Perhaps you won’t either, but your children might. Maybe your grandchildren and many generations after that.

Seeds of faithfulness and obedience never die.

Daily Bible reading: Genesis 25-26,Matthew 9:1-17

Satisfied

/ EllieJ / Leave a comment

When I was a kid, we spent a lot of time in the car. Once a month, we’d be on the road from one city to the next to visit family. Late in the evening when the sun had gone down and we could see the shimmer of the lights of home in the distance, we’d turn on oldies radio. Guaranteed, every time that station came on while we drove that particular highway, we’d hear the Rolling Stones (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. All six of us would sing along at the top of our lungs.

The song has become somewhat of an anthem for generations. The whole world sings, I can’t get no satisfaction, ’cause I try and I try and I try.

The solution to this epidemic is simple.

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalm 90:14 (ESV)

Satisfaction will never and can never be found in ourselves or the world around us. True and complete satisfaction can only come from the love of God.

Daily Bible reading: Psalm 90-92; Romans 11:1-21

The next generation

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I was talking with my mother the other day of someone we know to have been raised in a Christian home. His wife was also raised in a Christian home. Somehow, though, the faith was not established in either of them and they soon walked away from all faith. When he was later diagnosed with cancer, rather than returning to the faith of his childhood, he turned to spirit healers and other forms of faith.

What happened?

If you read through Psalm 78 (long though it may be), you’ll find account after account of similar actions. We’ve read it already this year in previous books of the Old Testament. Israel follows God. Israel turns from God. Everything goes wrong. Israel turns back to God. It’s a never-ending circle of advance and retreat.

Asaph, the writer of this Psalm begins with a bit of a reminder before going into the history of Israel.

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from old.
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

He established a testimony in Jacob
and appointed law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;
and that they should not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not steadfast.
whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Psalm 78:1-8 (ESV)

What would happen in a single generation if mothers and especially fathers, would teach their children to set their hope in God? If today’s children were taught to love and honour God and each other?

Asaph saw his fathers’ folly and urged the present generation not to make the same mistake. What if we did likewise? How much could we change the world for the next generation?

Daily Bible reading: Psalm 78; Romans 7

For the sake of my servant

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Do you ever take the time to wonder how your actions will affect the next generation? I’m going to hazard a guess and say not much. Those with children may think about it a little more often than those of us without.

Did you know that blessing and curses are generational? They don’t end when you end, they keep going.

Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

1 Kings 11: 12 (ESV)

This phrase repeats itself through the rest of the chapter. Because of David. For the sake of my servant David. Because of David’s heart toward God, his offspring was spared further down the road long after he was gone. The affect of his loyalty to God was felt centuries after his death. God honoured David’s line because of David.

The end result: Jesus. Because of one man’s faithfulness, God was able to bring forth a saviour.

What will your legacy be? Will generations after you be blessed because you are faithful?

Daily Bible reading: 1 Kings 10-11; Luke 24:1-35

Teach War

/ EllieJ / Leave a comment

Many people are under the impression that Christians should be peaceful and prosperous. It’s like there is a perceived magic switch that gets flipped at the moment of salvation and, suddenly, all is right with the world.

I don’t know about you, but someone forgot to flip that switch when I accepted Christ. Things are rarely (if ever) perfect and peaceful in my life.

Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war…

Judges 3:1-2a (ESV)

Wait a minute. That they might know war? I thought God made sure we wouldn’t have to fight. I thought we all became conscientious objectors once we joined the Church.

…to teach war to those who had not known it before.

Judges 3:2b (ESV)

My generation has not really known war. Not in the sense that my grandparents and great-grandparents knew war. I almost wish we did know war. Perhaps if we were fighting for our lives, we’d give up the fight for a lot of other useless things.

We haven’t been taught war because our parents didn’t know war.

I’ve listened to my grandmother tell stories of the war. During World War II, life became difficult, even in their rural community. German was their first language. Our heritage can also be traced back to the Jews. That is knowing war.

I hate to think of the response of my generation if (when?) another world war breaks out. While many fight for the right to kill their own babies, how can we expect these same people to fight for the freedoms our ancestors fought for? Those very freedoms that were gained in the first half of the last century are being wiped away by people who think they know  better. They don’t even know what they don’t know.

God never promised freedom from a fight. He promised that He would be there through the fight.

Don’t spend your life trying to avoid the war because when – not if – war comes into your life, you need to be prepared. You need to know what you are fighting for and who you are fighting with. Then you need to teach the next generation to fight.

Daily Bible reading: Judges 3-5; Luke 7:31-50

Heritage

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If you are walking with God, take a moment now to think of those who have walked before you. Maybe previous pastors. A mother or a father. Grandparents. Great-grandparents.

Is your present walk with God your own doing or is it in part because of the prayers of those who came before (or even the prayers of those around you now)?

All through Deuteronomy, Moses recounts the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Time and time again, they forgot who they were and rebelled against the Lord. Again and again, Moses would plead with God to preserve Israel and God listened.

Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you, so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also.

Deuteronomy 9:18-19 (ESV)

How many prayers have been prayed on your behalf that you don’t even know about. Are you where you are because of what you’ve done? Or is because of what God has done on behalf of the prayers of others?

Don’t take for granted the righteous generations that may have come before you. We will never know how much their prayers have protected us like the prayers of Moses protected Israel.

Daily Bible reading: Deuteronomy 8-10, Mark 12:28-44