One Hundred Years

‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ Numbers14:18NIV

Older folks, we have a great responsibility on our shoulders. There are a few verses which record the same thing, that our Great-Great Grandchildren’s society will pay the price for the sins of our generation, and since the average age of a generation is around 25 years, we will be well gone from this scene of time but our family will still be affected, and it will be our fault.

We cannot claim that this is an old testament ‘curse’ only. Take a look around the great nations who once were Christian in word and deed, and look at those same countries now. You will see that in the space of 100 years, so much has changed. For two examples, think of the UK and the USA, and look back those 4 generations. What a change in morality, and there can be no doubt that while they sowed the wind, we are reaping the whirlwind. So it will be four generations hence.

This is more a warning for each and every present generation, and less a punishment on our succeeding generations. They are solely and directly inheriting the mistakes (sins) of their ancestors. The children in 100 years time are not at fault, we are. They are innocent, and we are guilty of neglecting God and His Word. The Children of Israel did it time and again, but God was patient and kept taking them back when they repented. But the cycle repeated.

Although each individual at every generation has the freedom to repent and put God first, this truth still works. The general state of society will reflect the rejection of God at every generation until there is a revival and the ordinary man and woman comes to their senses and turns our god-less nations around. Lord, let is begin in our generation. With us. With me!

I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.But I do not excuse the guilty.I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.” Exodus34:7NLT

Threes

My mum used to say that everything comes in threes. She wasn’t superstitious. She was a Godly lady who took her faith seriously, but she noticed life. One of her observations was that things sometimes come in groups of three.

From the arrival of the local service bus, to the notice of announcements of death, and everything inbetween, she saw that things happen in threes. Even the pastor’s sermons invariably have three points. The Trinity is a three part image of God. Our lives are separated into time spans of past, present, and future. There are three physical dimensions, length, breadth, and height.

In the spiritual realm, we have three elements of salvation. Upward in repentance and thanks to God, inward as we start to change from the inside out as we become more like Jesus, and outward as we reach out in love to those around us. We don’t love others to drag them to church because that may never happen. A wise old pastor asked his younger congregation why nightingales sing? As an adult, I was stumped until he explained that nightingales sing because they are nightingales! He went on to say that we should love others, and pass on the comfort God has given us in our troubles, only because we are His children and we love Him. No other reason is needed. It becomes our nature, just like the singing nightingale.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3,4