Passing on the Faith to the Next Generations
Scripture — Isaiah 59:21 (NRSV)
And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD: my spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the LORD, from now on and forever.
Focus
In Isaiah 59:21, God speaks of putting divine words in the mouths of the children and grandchildren of the faithful Israelites. In a time in which increasing numbers of younger people are turning away from the Christian faith, we feel an urgency to discover how best to help the next generations embrace biblical faith.
Devotion
Last week I began reflecting on Isaiah 59:21, which includes the promise of God to put God’s own words in the mouths of God’s people, including children and grandchildren. I mentioned how important it is for us to teach God’s truths to children through our words and deeds.
God’s promise to put divine words in the mouths of children speaks to one of the deepest yearnings of our hearts. Those of us who care about children, whether they’re related to us or not, want so much for God’s words to be on their lips and in their hearts. We ache for the next generations to know the Lord, to walk with God, and to be guided by God’s truth. We feel a sense of urgency about this because, increasingly, younger people are rejecting biblical guidance and authority. A recent survey, for example, found that only 21% of Gen Z folk in the U.S. (currently ages 12-27) identify the Bible as their primary source of moral guidance.
Though younger people in our society do show considerable interest in “spirituality,” this doesn’t necessarily extend to orthodox Christianity or the church. Many have left the church because of their own experience of its hypocrisy and judgmentalism, or because they have felt excluded from its common life.
If we want God’s words to guide the lives of the next generations, including our children and grandchildren, then we need to commit ourselves to this goal. It will impact how we live each day and how we function together as the church. It will require new authenticity, openness, and integrity. We have no more important calling than to pass on our faith to the next generations.
For years, my colleagues at the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) have been helping Christians live out this calling with wisdom and effectiveness. Their unique research has been captured in two excellent books, Sticky Faith and Growing Young. If you want God’s Word to live on the lips of the next generations, I would encourage you to check out these excellent resources. As you know, I don’t usually recommend books in my Life for Leaders devotions. But the work of FYI is groundbreaking, and I’d like you to be familiar with it. You can learn more from their website.
Reflect
How are you impacting the faith of young people in your world?
What can you do to live in such a way that the next generations are drawn to the Lord through you?
Act
If you are a leader in your church and haven’t read Growing Young, I strongly urge you to do so. This book will teach, challenge, and encourage you. More importantly, it will help your church be a place that truly embraces, serves, and empowers the next generations.
Pray
Gracious God, today I’m praying for the children of the church and the wider world. May your words be on their lips and in their hearts. May they know your Word. May it shape their lives, inform their thoughts, and guide their actions.
Help me, dear Lord, to speak and live in such a way that the next generations are drawn to you through me. Forgive me when my words and deeds don’t match. Use me to reach out to youth and young adults with love and grace.
Help your church, Lord, to connect with younger generations. May we do this, not simply as a program to build our churches, but as a way of helping young people to know you, to love you, and to live with kingdom purpose. Give us all the courage to live out our faith with authenticity. Help us to be open to change, even change that makes us uncomfortable. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: What We Want for Children.
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...