Don’t Drop The Baton
It has been a great break from blogging and I am excited for all that God has ignited in my spirit this past three months. I am continually astonished at the majesty of God- we can never exhaust all He is, not in our days or even in eternity. Since this past May when my two oldest daughters graduated one from graduate school and the other undergraduate (my youngest is in her junior year of undergrad/masters combined),God has been stirring in my spirit His heart for the next generation. God has enabled many of us to witness the fruit of our labor in our children. There is no greater joy seeing your children live out their faith for Jesus in their generation -III John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth". It further authenticates God’s word, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Now that your children are living out their faith and pursuing their destiny in Christ, is it time to retire? Not at all. It is the time to ensure that we pass the baton to the next generation. Running a relay race takes the commitment of every team member. Back when I was running relay in high school, we had two key positions on the team that were crucial to the success of the team. The starter and the finisher. The starter determines the pace of the team and the finisher determines the place of the team. Typically, a runner with an expanded capacity for speed and air (for the lungs) is placed as the finisher while the runner with the fastest gait is placed as a starter. Each team member is strongly advised not to drop the baton while passing it to the next runner. Dropping the baton could cost the team a great deal -the ultimate prize.
As believers, we have been blessed with the finished work of Christ our Savior and Lord on the Cross. He is the starter and finisher of our faith. We have also been blessed with great men and women of faith who have passed the baton to us through the years. We are now running in the last lap of the race of life and passing the baton to the next generation to finish the race in welcoming our Groom. There is a danger that we face as we pass the baton. The danger is clearly described in Judges Chapter 3 (long chapter but worth the reading, studying and meditation). It outlines what happens when we have a generation that does not know the Lord. It brings us face to face with the question, “How can we help the next generation know about God?” We can help the next generation know about our God by “passing on the baton” of “how”, “why”, ‘when” and “what” of our faith in Christ Jesus. This generation of our young people are already well versed in all facets of the culture of our day. What they need from us, is the “hands-on” of how to live for Jesus and walk with God. They need to know how to pray and worship God. They need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They need to know how to study the word of God. They need to know the attributes of God. They need to know the reverential fear of God. They need to know who they are in Christ Jesus. They need to know God as Father and Friend. They need to know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They need to know how much God loves them for who they are and not what they do or don’t do. They need to know our God the Creator. They need the impartation of the Holy Spirit to flame the gifts God has placed in them. They need to know how to have a Godly marriage and family. They need to know how to live out their faith wherever they are. They need to know how to put the word of God to work in their lives. They need to know this world is not their permanent home. They need us to guide them in living from an eternal perspective for something greater.
My fellow brothers and sisters, in whatever arena of life you may be, it is time to pass on the baton God has blessed you with to the next generation. The next generation of believers, warriors, worshippers, young married couples, young families, sons and daughters of God. Whatever you do my beloved brethren, please do not drop the baton! Carefully hand the baton over to the next leg of relay runners waiting to receive it!
It has been a great break from blogging and I am excited for all that God has ignited in my spirit this past three months. I am continually astonished at the majesty of God- we can never exhaust all He is, not in our days or even in eternity. Since this past May when my two oldest daughters graduated one from graduate school and the other undergraduate (my youngest is in her junior year of undergrad/masters combined),God has been stirring in my spirit His heart for the next generation. God has enabled many of us to witness the fruit of our labor in our children. There is no greater joy seeing your children live out their faith for Jesus in their generation -III John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear my children are walking in the truth". It further authenticates God’s word, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).
Now that your children are living out their faith and pursuing their destiny in Christ, is it time to retire? Not at all. It is the time to ensure that we pass the baton to the next generation. Running a relay race takes the commitment of every team member. Back when I was running relay in high school, we had two key positions on the team that were crucial to the success of the team. The starter and the finisher. The starter determines the pace of the team and the finisher determines the place of the team. Typically, a runner with an expanded capacity for speed and air (for the lungs) is placed as the finisher while the runner with the fastest gait is placed as a starter. Each team member is strongly advised not to drop the baton while passing it to the next runner. Dropping the baton could cost the team a great deal -the ultimate prize.
As believers, we have been blessed with the finished work of Christ our Savior and Lord on the Cross. He is the starter and finisher of our faith. We have also been blessed with great men and women of faith who have passed the baton to us through the years. We are now running in the last lap of the race of life and passing the baton to the next generation to finish the race in welcoming our Groom. There is a danger that we face as we pass the baton. The danger is clearly described in Judges Chapter 3 (long chapter but worth the reading, studying and meditation). It outlines what happens when we have a generation that does not know the Lord. It brings us face to face with the question, “How can we help the next generation know about God?” We can help the next generation know about our God by “passing on the baton” of “how”, “why”, ‘when” and “what” of our faith in Christ Jesus. This generation of our young people are already well versed in all facets of the culture of our day. What they need from us, is the “hands-on” of how to live for Jesus and walk with God. They need to know how to pray and worship God. They need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They need to know how to study the word of God. They need to know the attributes of God. They need to know the reverential fear of God. They need to know who they are in Christ Jesus. They need to know God as Father and Friend. They need to know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. They need to know how much God loves them for who they are and not what they do or don’t do. They need to know our God the Creator. They need the impartation of the Holy Spirit to flame the gifts God has placed in them. They need to know how to have a Godly marriage and family. They need to know how to live out their faith wherever they are. They need to know how to put the word of God to work in their lives. They need to know this world is not their permanent home. They need us to guide them in living from an eternal perspective for something greater.
My fellow brothers and sisters, in whatever arena of life you may be, it is time to pass on the baton God has blessed you with to the next generation. The next generation of believers, warriors, worshippers, young married couples, young families, sons and daughters of God. Whatever you do my beloved brethren, please do not drop the baton! Carefully hand the baton over to the next leg of relay runners waiting to receive it!
RSS Feed