Passing the Baton of Faith to the Next Generation
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
Deuteronomy 6:20-23 “And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand: And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes: And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.”
One of the biggest responsibilities that we have in life is to pass the truth about God to the next generation. Notice several things we learn from these verses about passing the baton of faith to the next generation:
- The Word of God must be in our heart. Before they can teach their children, they had to have God’s Word in their heart. The key to changing our children is changing us. The key to reaching the next generation is being reached ourself. The solution to seeing our the next generation being passionate about God is being passionate about God ourself. Before we can teach and train others, we must be who we ought to be. We must get so in love with God that we talk about God all the time – when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we rise up. If we are consumed with God and His love, our children and those who come after us will be much more likely to catch it!
- We must be committed to the transfer process. They were to be diligent in their efforts to teach their children. Teaching and passing on the baton of faith is an intentional process. Jesus chose those that would be with Him and those that He will invest His live in. The onus is upon the teacher, the mentor, the parent, and the leader to create and environment that they can pass on their life and love for the Lord to others. Many things would crowd out this process, but we must be diligent in our efforts to teach them.
- The way we live should prompt questions and interest in our children in the things and ways of God. In Deuteronomy 6:20-23, the son would ask his father why he was doing such things. Then the father would answer about the goodness, greatness, and salvation of God. Can our children and those who follow us see that we are fiercely love in with the Lord? Is there blatant evidence of the work of God in our lives? Are they curious about why we love the Lord so much? Can they see us living out our faith?
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