HOW ARE YOU EFFECTING THE NEXT GENERATION?

DOES THE YOUNGER GENERATION FIND IN YOU AN EXAMPLE?

Psalm 71:17-21

O God, from my youth you have taught me,

and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

So even to old age and gray hairs,

O God, do not forsake me,

until I proclaim your might to another generation,

your power to all those to come.

Your righteousness, O God,

reaches the high heavens.

You who have done great things,

O God, who is like you?

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

will revive me again;

from the depths of the earth

you will bring me up again.

You will increase my greatness

and comfort me again.

God’s care for us begins before we are born, and still sustains us when we grow old. When we were small and helpless, we needed to be cared for; when we are old, we will again become dependent on others for help. Through it all, God is sovereignly, lovingly caring for us.

All we know about God is what He has revealed to us through His Word and through the teaching of those who have studied it. As we grow older, it is our duty to teach it to the next generation.

Have you stopped to reflect on how your testimony is affecting the next generation?

Are you too busy to spend time with your children or grandchildren, teaching them about God in all aspects of life?

Are you involved in your local church and living an example of one who loves to be taught?

Are you involved in a church where the Word of God is taught carefully for all age groups?

Is your life an example of dedication and submission to God?

Are you praising God for the great things He has done for you?

When you fail, are you an example of repentance and change?

As we grow older, we build on the disciplines we have maintained throughout our lives. The way we meditate and study the word of God, the way we view our lives, affect the way we praise God and the attitudes we have.

Psalm 71:22-24

I will also praise you with the harp

for your faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

My lips will shout for joy,

when I sing praises to you;

my soul also, which you have redeemed.

And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

for they have been put to shame and disappointed

who sought to do me hurt.

The author reminds us of some of the reasons we should praise: God’s faithfulness, for His holiness that is His character, for His care of our soul by saving us, for His help and protection.

Dear friends, are you not amazed by God’s faithfulness? Reflecting, I have realized that I have a relationship with Him only because He is faithful, though I have been so unfaithful. He knew I would be ungrateful and sinful, despite His goodness and perfection.

WE NEED TO PRAISE

How amazing it is, that the holy and perfect God would want to have a relationship with man, with me! We cannot even understand the perfection of His character, as He is so different from us. God cannot do anything evil; His every judgment is perfect; His every action is meticulously planned and perfect!

WE NEED TO PRAISE

We have assurance of eternal life when we repent of our sin and trust only Christ, who died and rose again on our behalf. We could never have saved ourselves, for all we could offer were sinful deeds, driven by sinful motives. We lived for ourselves in utter rebelliousness, and yet God revived our spirit and drew us to Him!

WE NEED TO PRAISE

God cares for us every instant of our lives. There has never been a second of distraction, never a moment of imperfect love and protection. Every event is perfectly planned for our own good. All we encounter is sovereignly ordained to draw us closer to Him.

WE NEED TO PRAISE

If God began to care for us before the foundation of the world and will do the same for eternity, we should be praising children who sing, shout, and talk about our God all the time!