Generational

“My servant David will be their king, and they will have only one shepherd. They will obey my regulations and be careful to keep my decrees.  They will live in the land I gave my servant Jacob, the land where their ancestors lived. They and their children and their grandchildren after them will live there forever, generation after generation. And my servant David will be their prince forever.  And I will make a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I will give them their land and increase their numbers, and I will put my Temple among them forever.  Ezekiel 37:24-26 

Generational.  My love for jazz music goes back to when I was a child. I was surrounded by parents who both worked and sat back and unwind during the weekends listening to it.  Then when we went on long trips, that is almost all I heard.  So, when I got older I naturally gravitated to it.  I did not realize how that influenced me until one of my grandchildren was playing jazz in the room she was staying.  Keep in mind she is only seven years old.  She had been on trips with me just as I had been with my parents.  But my connection with my grandchildren did not end there.

The other day, one of my other grandchildren came downstairs, and wanted to talk with me.  This is the one simply known as ‘my BFF’ because that is what she called me at the bright young age of two.  She says, “Do you know God is everywhere?”  I said, “Yes, I do.  He’s all knowing, all present, and all powerful.”  She says yes.  And we go on to discuss about going to Heaven and Santa Claus.  It was then it hit me.  God was blessing me with the impact of my decision over fifteen years ago.  I had a choice to follow Him or not back then.  It was one choice, but its impact was exponential. 

Each decision we make to follow God closer has a similar exponential impact.  I was reading through the Book of Ezekiel where God showed His power to Ezekiel where he could bring people to life through God’s commands.  Then He spoke of merging Judah and Israel into one nation and making “a covenant of peace with them, an everlasting covenant.” But note the completeness of God’s promise.  It was everlasting providing not only for them but generations afterward.  Ezekiel’s later prophecies much like today’s verses were ones of hope to the exiled people of Israel.  What can we gather from this?  One is that God’s promises are true as Israel would eventually be restored.  Second, we only need be faithful to Him to keep our end of the bargain.  Note that I said faithful.  Not perfect.  It’s like the fundamental truth of excellence by a legendary football coach (Vince Lombardi), who said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”  We need not be perfect in our pursuit of God, but if we excel in the process building on His wisdom and displaying a heart for Him, we will find Him.  As such, we will make better choices in our journey of faith.  This is where God’s impact becomes exponential.  It will continually grow in ways that affect not only us but also those around us. 

God’s love for us is never-ending.  He pursues us relentlessly, and it takes a great deal to ignore Him.  If we simply surrender to Him, the rewards go well beyond our current situation or circumstance.  This is what makes our spiritual journey truly impactful.  Let us be determined to see through a Godly lens and make choices that honor Him.  How can you focus on God when making decisions?  Do you consider God’s Kingdom as a factor in your choices?  My prayer is we are weighing all factors to know that our decision to follow Jesus Christ is in fact generational.  Amen.