17/06/2023
DAILY SPRING 🌊
Saturday, 17th June 2023
GROOMING THE NEXT GENERATION
TEXT:
2 Timothy 2:2
"And the [instructions] which you have heard from me along with many witnesses, transmit and entrust [as a deposit] to reliable and faithful men who will be competent and qualified to teach others also." - AMP
Quote for Today:
_What happens to the next generation if we don't preach Jesus to them?
Message:
We're in the age of information technology, with the AI gradually dawning on us. The world is fast changing and metamorphosing into something most of us never bargained for. Our children are not left out of the change process, in fact, they are more of the target than we are!
If all we're thinking about for our kids is the best school, best wears, best games, the best living conditions etc., without preparing them for an eternity with God through their faith in Jesus Christ, then, we're of all men most miserable! Because we know the truth, we're custodians of this Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet we fail to hand down the truth to the next generation after us - our kids!
One of the paramount questions that should be in your heart today is, 'What happens to the next generation when we have left?' Yes! What happens to the next generation if we don't preach Jesus to them? If all your children know and talk about are the things that end here on earth, then you have failed the Lord indeed! If your kids don't talk about Jesus, don't evangelize by telling others about the love of Jesus, then who will talk about Him? Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it".
Beloved, the need for you to educate and train your children in Kingdom lifestyle and ways cannot be overemphasized. And this responsibility is placed on us all as co-labourers with God and custodians of these children. If you are a parent - be it biological, foster or even spiritual father or mother, then you're saddled with this Heavenly responsibility to train up the children committed to you in the way of the Lord.
Is there a difference between educating and training? There sure is! In the book of Matthew 28:20, the Lord commanded us to make disciples of all nations, and one of the ways to do so is by teaching them to observe (to do) all the things the Lord has taught us... That is, teaching them to 'do', not just teaching them to 'know'! Educating can be said to involve teaching them to know, while training involves teaching them to become and to do!
In other words, when they know, and they become what they know (by imbibing the truth they know), then they'll move on to do what they know and have become. The process of bringing them from knowing to becoming, then doing, is what is called training! My question now is, have you really trained or are you truly training your kids in the way of the Lord? Can God rely on you to prepare for Him a generation that will be custodians of His Kingdom truth, a generation that will preserve the values and faith that Jesus spoke about in Luke 18:8b saying, "Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
God said concerning Abraham, "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice..." Can God say the same about you? God is counting on you and I to raise for Him Godly seeds, to raise for Him the next generation of Kingdom takers. Will you heed that call today? You need to make up your mind to make a difference in your time and your world by raising up the next generation for the Lord. Our generation shall not fail God in Jesus Name.
Prayer/Declaration:
Father, I thank You for the privilege to serve with You as a co-labourer to bring up the next generation of Godly seeds for Your Glory. I declare that I and my generation shall not fail You. I receive fresh Grace to understand and know what to do at the right time, so much so that the next generation shall love You more and bring praise to Your Name beyond ours, in Jesus Name.
Further Bible Reading:
Proverbs 22:6; Genesis 18:18-19; Isaiah 43:21; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 18:8
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Have a glorious weekend!
- Pastor John Etubi-Aruwa