No Greater Joy (Part 2)

Apostle John said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4). In order to build generationally, we must understand that God is the God of generations. I wrote about this in last week's blog "No Greater Joy". In this blog I will cover the second and third points concerning this topic.

Second, we must have a faith that the younger generation wants to emulate. Psalm 78:1-8 says, “1 O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hidden things, things from of old- 3 what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us. 4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done."

Our dereliction to teach the next generation will ultimately lead to our destruction. In the book of Judges we learn that Joshua and his generation were faithful to serve the Lord in their lifetime. However, they did not pass the “baton of faith” to their children. When this happens, the generation that forsakes God ends up practicing idolatry and engaging in immorality. As people turn away from God’s laws, the result is moral confusion and chaos. With no moral anchor to ground them and no ethical compass to guide them, a generation lives by the motto: Do what is right in your own sight.

Judges 2:7, 10 says, “The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel. 10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel."

While working as a strength coach at FSU, I used to do personal training after work to supplement my income. The majority of my clientele were young children under the age of thirteen. More than searching for a person to train their children in physical conditioning, most of the parents were looking for someone to mentor them. As their children approached their teenage years, many of them were rebellious, unmotivated and lethargic. In fact, it seemed they desired to be the exact opposite of their parent’s wishes. So, I was hired to try to get the kids compliant, motivated and conditioned.

As I got to know the parents, I began to observe that many of them did not model the kind of life they wanted their children to live. Some of them were divorced, some of them spent more time at work than at home, and some of them were not in good physical condition themselves. It made sense to me that their children were rebelling against the hypocrisy of their parents. So, I was hired to fill in the gaps.

Third, we need to collectively value the wisdom of the elderly and the zeal of the youth. Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” Malcolm Muggeridge once said that all new news is old news happening to new people. He was right; even as Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). All that has happened before so often happens again. That is why it is important for the young to learn from the old so they gain wisdom in their current decision making and not commit the same mistakes of previous generations. However, in quoting that verse, we must not forget something very important. The people to whom it is happening are new, and the answers, however old, must never sound stale. The younger generation knows how to make sure the answers are couched in a relevant context as culture changes.

God has always used young people throughout history to bring change. Josiah was a young king who led his nation in a revival of adherence to God’s word. God visited Joseph, the youngest of twelve brothers, with dreams about his future and the destiny of God’s people. David was chosen by God to unite Israel and Judah as the youngest in his family. God promoted Daniel, a young exile in who was wise, powerful in spirit, and a man of prayer, to influential governmental positions in the pagan nation Babylon. Young men Joshua and Caleb were used by God to lead the Israelites into their promised land. And, Apostle Paul exhorted Timothy to be a Godly example in his youth to believers. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

It is interesting to also note the principle of generational building in the book of 1st Timothy. 1st Timothy 4:14 says, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” Timothy led as a young man and the older generation imparted into his life as elders. In other words, they worked together in their service to the Lord and one another.

One of my favorite examples of how the young and the old need each other in every situation in their generation comes from the movie “Footloose”. Reverend Moore, who represents the older generation, is a minister in a small mid-western town. Ren, who represents the younger generation, is a free-spirited big city teenager who likes to dance. After the car accident death of his son during a night of drinking and dancing, the Reverend Moore led the town in instituting a “no dance policy”. This meant that seniors in high school could not even participate in a prom. From their traumatic experience, the town had mistakenly labeled dancing an evil activity.

Refusing to be dissuaded, Ren quotes Holy Scripture to the town council and personally meets with Reverend Moore to convince him that his cause is not motivated by malicious intent. Ren eventually persuades Reverend Moore and gets permission to host a senior prom. By the end of the movie, generations that have been divided over traditions, heartache and pain begin to reconcile with a new sense of trust and community spirit. Ren needed the wisdom of Reverend Moore to learn proper conduct, and Reverend Moore needed the youthful zeal of Ren to break dogmatic and legalistic community rules.