Navigating changes in seasons may be somewhat challenging than the others – this is the season I find myself in, but I am thankful for my Lord Jesus, who is with me through it all. Through it all, one of the things that brings me great joy and encouragement is the word of God. Oh! The way it excites me and brings me joy is unfathomable! I attribute this experience to the person of the Holy Spirit. He is responsible for bringing God’s word to life in our lives as much as we engage Him and involve Him in our bible study.
Last night, as I studied God’s word, one of the things that stood out to me amongst the things I saw last night is in Deuteronomy 10:22 – Your fathers went down into Egypt with seventy persons; and now the Lord your God hath made you as the stars of heaven for multitude. I recognized these words of the Lord, for God had said them before. He had spoken to Abraham and to Jacob as well. In Genesis 13:16, God said to Abraham – And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Then in Genesis 28:14– Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and the east, to the north and the south. All people on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.
Then here in Deuteronomy 10:22, He reminds and points to His children to His word, which was made manifest in their lives. He kept His covenant, fulfilled His words to His children – although it tarried, His words came to pass generations after. In the moment, what that did for me was highlight the importance of passing down the Gospel, our experiences, encounters, and covenants with the Lord to our children and as I write now with everyone around us, but most importantly to our children. I believe this is one of the reasons God encouraged His children to pass on their stories by word of mouth, encouraged them to keep . I believe this is a tradition the Jews still practice to date, sharing and telling stories of God. This is a tradition every Christian, engrafted to the family of God by the blood of Jesus, should practice.
You know, in that moment, I allowed my mind to wander. I find that engaging our minds during Bible study helps bring the Word to life and fuels our faith. As I reflected on Faith Across Generations: Remembering God’s Promises, I pictured Abraham sharing with Isaac his encounters with God—surely that must have shaped and propelled Isaac’s walk with the Lord. I’m certain it deeply influenced his faith. Then I imagined Isaac passing down not only the stories from Papa Abraham but also his own personal experiences with God to Jacob. (I suspect Esau didn’t give much attention to his parents’ stories, as we see hinted in Genesis 26:34–35.) And then Jacob, in turn, sharing with his children—on and on, generation after generation—until these stories finally reached us.
And that is how the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ reached us, it was passed on till it got to us. So shall you let it die in your hands? Shall you let it stay with you and not pass it on? That would be unfair! I implore and encourage you to make time for your family, for your children, to share the word of God with them, to share your God-stories, God-encounters, God-experiences with them. Even if it seems as though nothing is happening initially, keep sharing – the seeds are taking root and they would begin to sprout Godly fruits.I am of the opinion that most of the world’s problems are rooted in failed family systems. Imagine families were godly, light-filled children are raised outnumbered dysfunctional homes – oh! what a beauty and wonder we would have in the world.
Sigh! As I write, I can’t help but think of many christians who are just religious, they just go to church to mark attendance, following the motion without a solid relationship with the Lord. I hope that you are not one of those types of christians in pursuit of God only for the things He can give you but you are in it for the full ride, for the great and not so great times. I hope that you are in pursuit of intimacy with Him, that you love Him with all your heart and that you diligently seek Him with all of your heart, soul and mind. In seeking Him, will you know Him and experience Him in His fullness and Glory. These experiences you are then able to share, pass on to your children in order to kindle their fire for the Lord.
My call to action today is this: yearn for the Lord. Desire Him with all your heart—long for encounters, experiences, and the knowledge of God that stirs you to seek Him even more. I am almost certain that when these two things take root in you, you will share! It’s nearly impossible to burn with His fire and not spread it.
The Good Lord bless and help us to live for Him in Jesus name.