A verse of bane and blessing

​Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3

This is generally true of parenting and grand parenting. Those blessed with children can find a reward in the next generation. They can see a heritage. I would always encourage young parents to believe this, trust God’s good gifts, and seek to instill godly values in their kids. The future depends on it.

But… I also know many parents who now should be reaping the heritage harvest and the fruit of their rewards but instead feel the deep pain daily struggling as this promise seems to come to them unfulfilled. There are a lot of reasons this has happened and I do not list them to excuse any mistakes in parenting or to explain away the decline of a generation. I want to talk about them so that I can share in the suffering of the saints who trust God to yet bless the next generation.

Why does the fruit turn bad? Let me briefly share two observations that I know. First, some were part of a church culture but did not have a Christ commitment. I have see many good church kids leave the church because they could not sustain a “youth group fun time” mentality which is woefully unrealistic once adulthood starts bringing responsibilities. This is shallow experience and lack of discipleship on the part of the church. Parents perhaps overly relied on programs. And fake “Christianese” cultures develop. This fake culture gets confused with real Christian faith. A few come back by the power of the gospel. Some never get past this criticism and confusion.

Secondly, some were not prepared for worldview clashes. They went off to college or the job market and a psychology course or an office supervisor wickedly attacked Christian perspectives as irrational, outdated, or abnormal. Pair that with a campus or office life of moral “free-for-all” culture and it is easy to fit in by quietly phasing out of Christian pasts. Again, some young adults return after a prodigal party. Many others, however, do not. Some even turn on their families, calling Christian upbringing toxic, uncaring, controlling, manipulative, and even evil. 

This is an epidemic among Boomer and Gen-X parents right now in the church. I have met hundreds of parents in this state. Pray! Pray for a generational heritage that has heard the truth to return to the truth. Pray for hearts to come home to the Lord!

reasons to praise

Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

praise the name of the LORD!

Psalm 113:1

Critics of modern praise music often complain about the use of repetitive language (“I could sing of Your love forever” being a favorite example unfairly cited). But there is a place for repetition in worship. The psalms do this many times. The example right here in Psalm 113:1 is repetition by amplification of a concept. I believe this literary device helps focus worship on its object: the LORD. This repetition emphasizes both the responsibility to worship God and the privilege of doing so. It reminds us that worship is a continuous action of the heart not just an occasional event. We offer continuous praise, explained in Psalm 113 starting in verse 2. God is praised now and forevermore.

We offer universal praise starting in verse 3. Praise extends from east to west (a biblical metaphor for the entire world), from the sun’s rising to its setting. Worship encircles the earth and God is worthy of global glory!

We offer humble praise as described in verses 4-9. The reasons we praise are threefold: 1) God’s majesty is exalted above us and we are His subjects. 2) God’s compassionate care provides all we need and we are His poor and needy children. 3) We are barren with nothing to bring to our relationship with Him and God brings us joy and gives us life and fruitful living in His great home.

the threat

We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.

Ezra 4:16

Smiles and offers of peace,
beneath are hearts of deceit.
Seeking to join what God had begun,
to turn turn from His purpose His restored ones.

When false friendship failed, threats arose;
Fear planting by scheming foes.
Accusations traveled to the throne,
lies to stop the work of God’s own.

Hammers fell silent, stones lay still;
earthly power opposed God’s will.
Builders withdrew, courage worn.
Hope was lost in a political storm.

Yet no decree will silence God’s Word.
Nothing thwarts the cause of the Lord.
When enemies rage, the faithful wait
for God’s purpose endures beyond earthly fate.

The Seed

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.​  Luke 8:11

The seed was sown

by being thrown

On a path some fell

taken away by the devil

blocking salvation

On the rocks it was seen

some in joy received

but with no root… came no salvation

Some germinated in thorns

growing but torn

by cares: riches and pleasures… and not saved

But a good soil seed

watered, nurtured, believed indeed

honest hearts head the Word and know salvation

restored to home

​The whole assembly together was 42,360. Ezra 2:64

Something amazing happened that is recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah when the exiles returned home to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. When you add the summary number of 42,360 (a number repeated in Nehemiah) to the additional servants and singers mentioned in verse sixty-five, we get a number just shy of 50,000 people. That means that a mass migration from Babylon back to Jerusalem occurred as the exile ended. I can’t imagine the logistics this took as they traveled on foot something close to 900 miles. Ezra says it took the exiles four months to move the caravan along at about 7 to 9 miles a day, resting on the Sabbath. This return was monumental.

This return is a powerful portrait of the restorative grace of God. For these children of exiles, judgment would not be the end of their story. God kept His promises to a new generation. God moved the heart of a pagan king to set them on the journey and supply all their needs. God gathered together His scattered people (some came from cities other than Babylon). God brought them nearly a thousand miles on foot to to rebuild His temple, renew His worship, and restore their homes.

Grace never pretends that sin never happens. But it does bring ruined lives back home to rebuild what sin has broken. This is the grace fully displayed in Jesus Who bears our judgment and brings repentant sinners back home to God. The ruins that sin leaves do not need to stay trashed in rubble. God will help us rebuild in obedience to the gospel. Grace forgives, restores, rebuilds, and brings us all the way home!

Callous games

​They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.”

Luke 7:32

Jesus described His generation as children sitting in the marketplace who refused to respond no matter what game was offered to them. John the Baptist preached a solemn call to repentance and some dismissed him as demonic. Jesus festively ate and drank, graciously reaching sinners, and they called Him a drunkard and a glutton. Their problem however was not with the style of the messenger. Their issue was the stubbornness of their hearts. They were selectively and selfishly calloused to God’s Word, no matter how it was preached or who proclaimed it. Religion disguised as criticism avoided the real heart concern: What if God is speaking and I just don’t want to hear Him or I just don’t like the message?

So it is today. Exposure to God’s truth may never soften a heart. Repeated resistance can leave people unmoved by the gospel. The problem is that many people use Christian religion to suit preferences and this further callouses people to the truth. They want happy songs and watered down truth. But Jesus reminds us “wisdom is justified by all her children” (Luke 7:35). When Scripture confronts us, we should repent of our critique instincts and examine ourselves in the light of the gospel. That is the Holy Spirit helping make God’s Word transformative for us! When we welcome God’s Word with receptive hearts, He in turn welcomes us as His children.

a prayer for leadership

​

I will go before him

and make his footsteps a way.

Psalm 85:13

Lord,

How I need Your to lead me today! There is a lot before me. There are tasks, plans, and ministry commitments to do well for Your glory. There are kingdom priorities to keep straight. There is a lot around me. There are burdens to bear. There are difficult conversations to have. There are painful thoughts and emotions to help others sort out. There is a lot within me. There are painful experiences in my own life to endure and trust You to resolve. There is joy to find in this challenging journey! There is truth to believe. 

Please, Lord, will Your righteous steps go before me now and all through this day? Lead on, O King Eternal, and make of my messiness Your redeemed Creation. Do it for Your glory and my good, I now trust.

You will do what is right. You will lead me in righteousness. You will bless beyond the mess. You will place the path before me. Help me see and follow the footsteps You have set before me!

Amen